Notorious Big's family loses bid to expand law suit
The family of slain rapper Notorious BIG have lost a bid to expand their wrongful-death lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles to include new claims that a rogue police officer was present at the scene of the murder.
Last month, the family submitted a motion alleging former officers David Mack and Rafael Perez were working for Death Row Records mogul Marion 'Suge' Knight, and were behind the fatal shooting.
The rapper, real name Christopher Wallace, was killed on 9 March 1997 after a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The murder has never been solved.
His family contends Perez was at the museum on the night of the slaying and tipped off Mack about Wallace's movements.
Both former police officers, Knight and the alleged gunman, Amir Muhammad, have denied involvement in the killing.
US District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper denied the request on Thursday, ruling that there was "no admissible evidence that Perez was on duty… at the scene of the murder".
Cooper declared a mistrial last summer after finding that a police detective intentionally hid statements by a jailhouse informant linking the killing to Mack and Perez.
The retrial of the family's lawsuit is scheduled to begin in January 2007.
