At this moment in time, a judge is washing his hands of a decision involving Jay-Z and Dame Dash’s shares.
As AFROTECH™ previously mentioned, Dame Dash is soon having his shares in Roc-A-Fella Records sold at auction following an $800,000 judgement from a copyright infringement and defamation of character lawsuit.
The auction has been gaining significant attention as the buyer and new stakeholder would have the rights to Jay-Z’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.” Even Drake reportedly showed interest in purchasing the shares through a direct message, Dame Dash had said.
“Based on feedback I have received from interested parties (and I can’t mention names), this auction will likely bring out many household names in the sports and entertainment industries as well as those interested in a piece of a historically significant company, which holds an interest in a timeless debut album,” Dame Dash’s attorney Natraj Bhushan explained to Billboard at the time.
Jay-Z’s attorney’s has since alleged that the buyer would only have rights to the album until 2031, and then the copyright would return to the Brooklyn, NY-born rapper, mentioned TMZ.
Dame Dash went on to flag the statement in an Instagram video, believing it would taint the auction. In the video, he referenced a court document filed by the city of New York, alleging the city shared his concerns. The city is currently seeking some of the auction funds to cover Dame Dash’s additional debt as well as child support.
According to Billboard, the city did file those papers and requested that Judge Robert W. Lehrburger halt Dame Dash’s auction sale as well as issue a ruling on Jay Z’s termination efforts to gain control of “Reasonable Doubt.”
“Jay-Z’s statements to the press have poisoned the environment for the auction,’” Gerald Singleton, city attorney, stated, per the outlet.
Now the judge has weighed in on the issue. Billboard notes Lehrburger ruled on Sept. 30, 2024, that he could not be involved in the matters surrounding the auction and uncertainties around the copyright law.
“The asset that is the subject of the auction is Dash’s one-third interest in RAF [Roc-A-Fella] itself, not the work owned by RAF,” the judge wrote. “The Court does not presently have jurisdiction over the validity of Carter’s copyright termination notice.”
The judge also rejected New York City’s’s efforts to conduct discovery of Roc-A-Fella’s assets as an investigation was also unwarranted in the current proceedings, he stated.
