An eight-member jury ruled unanimously against a Philadelphia rapper's claim that he was detained illegally by Philadelphia police officers following a two-hour deliberation at the federal courthouse, according to a report from philly.com.
Robert Williams, who performs under the stage name Meek Mill, sought $400,000 in damages after being detained for 10 hours in a precinct holding cell on Oct. 31, 2012. The arrest forced Williams to miss a flight to Atlanta and cancel an appearance and he claimed it resulted in lost income and a tarnished reputation.
The panel disagreed with the plaintiff that the traffic stop conducted by officers Andrew Boyer and Alvin Outlaw violated his Fourth Amendment rights. During testimony, the officers told the jury that Williams' SUV had been pulled over because of dark tinting on the windows.
The officers detected the odor of marijuana and placed Williams and his passengers into custody until a search warrant could be obtained. After the search yielded no drugs and Williams' blood test came back negative, no charges were filed. By then, the hip-hop artist had already missed his flight.
Jury rules against Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill
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