Widow Sues Suge Knight, Universal

The widow of a man who died when he was run over by a pickup truck driven by Marion “Suge” Knight filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday against the former rap music mogul and key figures involved in the upcoming film “Straight Outta Compton.”

Lilian Carter, the widow of Terry Carter, filed the wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles against Knight, Universal Studios Inc., and rappers Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. “Straight Outta Compton” chronicles the rise of the gangster rap group N.W.A., which included Dr. Dre and Ice Cube as members.

The suit alleges Universal was negligent by continuing filming in Compton, California, after Dre warned the production to keep Knight away. Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, has quarreled with Dre for years.

The complaint also alleges Universal negligently hired Cle “Bone” Sloan, whose fight with Knight led to Carter being run over. Sloan, who was seriously injured after being run over by Knight’s truck, was working as an adviser on the film and helped broker deals with gang members so that it could shoot in Compton.

“This lawsuit concerns the tragic tale of how reckless corporate greed, disguised as the quest for authenticity, (led) to a foreseeable altercation that resulted in the death of a successful businessman,” the complaint states.

Howard King, an attorney for Dr. Dre, called the lawsuit “preposterous.”

Emails sent to representatives for Universal and Ice Cube were not immediately returned. Knight’s attorney, Thomas Mesereau, also did not immediately return an email message.

Photo: Frederic J. Brown/Pool Photo via AP

With his attorney Thomas Mesereau in Los Angeles.

Knight has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge filed in Carter’s death.