Second Suit Filed In Meek Mill Concert Shootings

A second wrongful death suit has been filed on behalf of a man who was shot and killed following a Meek Mill show at Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Conn., as lawyers for the jailed rap star called for the judge in an unrelated case to be removed.

Owen Sweeney – Meek Mill
“Power 99 POWERHOUSE,” Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.

The family of Jaquan Graves, who was shot and killed Dec. 30, filed a 27-page complaint in Waterbury, Conn., Superior Court Nov. 28. The family of a second murder victim in the case, Travis Ward, filed suit in May.

Court documents allege “negligence and carelessness” on the part of the venue and defendants including Live Nation because they allowed “thugs” to remain on the property “after exhibiting disorderly, disruptive, argumentative, angry and/or agitated behavior toward patrons;” failed to protect patrons or hire adequate security and was, or should have been made, aware of prior incidents including the discharge of firearms at previous Meek Mill shows at the venue, according to the complaint.

According to court documents, “a melee ensued shortly after the Meek Mill performance in the parking area within the confines of the Oakdale facilities, when armed assailant(s) who had attended the Meek Mill concert, discharged firearm(s).”

The complaint says Graves wasn’t armed and not a participant in the “melee” but was shot by someone who was. It also included Mills lyrics as exhibits.

The suit alleges negligence against Mills, his management company Roc Nation; Toyota Oakdale Theatre; Live Nation, which operates the venue; and seeks unspecified damages. None of the defendants immediately responded to inquiries from Pollstar. Live Nation generally does not comment on pending litigation.

Meanwhile, Mill’s lawyers say in a court filing Dec. 4 that a Philadelphia judge who sentenced him from two to four years in prison over a probation violation in an unrelated drug and guns case should be removed. The filing was made just after the judge in question denied bail to Mill.

The attorneys claim they were aware of an alleged investigation into Judge Genece Brinkley’s conduct since 2016, but decline to answer questions about the claim. At the same time, the FBI says it neither confirms nor denies investigations it may be conducting. Mill was sentenced last month to two to four years in prison for violating probation on a roughly decade-old gun and drug case.

The sentencing attracted hundreds of protestors to Philly Nov. 13, including rapper Rick Ross, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Malcom Jenkins and 76ers great Julius Erving among others.