Viacom Tries To SLAPP The Game Suit

A lawsuit from The Game against Viacom over his ill-fated role as the star of the 2015 program “He Got Game” is heating up as Viacom is trying to get special protections from accusations of negligent misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duty.

John Salangsang/Invision/AP, file – The Game
Los Angeles premiere of “Straight Outta Compton” at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

The Game was sued by Priscilla Rainey, a contestant on the show who claimed he forcefully touched and exposed her genitals and buttocks in public at an off-camera, after-hours event during filming.

A jury awarded Rainey a staggering $7.1 million last year, and the rapper has since filed suit against Viacom while appealing the verdict.

The Game’s suit claims the show’s creators cast Rainey knowing she had a history of instability associated with her romantic relationships and an extensive criminal record, and that her suit against The Game was filed as an act of vengeance.

He is alleging negligent misrepresentation, infliction of emotional distress and breach of fiduciary duty against Viacom, Viacom International and New Pop Culture Productions.

Viacom fired back, seeking to establish the suit as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP). Anti-SLAPP protections in California could mean that Viacom’s legal costs are covered by the plaintiff.

The media conglomerate, in a request filed June 26 in the Golden State, essentially says the assault verdict against The Game had nothing to do with the show, the artist signed a release form invalidating the allegations, and he doesn’t sufficiently prove his claims of misrepresentation, damage or breach of fiduciary duty.

The filing goes on to state that The Game’s love life is a matter of substantial public interest, and the defense is qualified for anti-SLAPP protections, seeking “fast and inexpensive … dismissal” of the claims.

Viacom’s lawyers also repeatedly reference dialogue from the rapper’s trial with Rainey that cast him in an unfavorable light, accusing him of prolonging the proceedings and avoiding a court date.