DaBaby Dropped by Legal Team Weeks Before Trial Over Alleged Assault of 65-Year-Old Man
DaBaby’s legal team are asking for permission to drop him as a client only weeks before the civil lawsuit accusing him of assaulting a 65-year-old man is scheduled to go to trial, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, the law firm Venable LLP asked the court to withdraw as DaBaby’s representatives. The team said there has been a “breakdown in the attorney-client relationship" and a "breach of the engagement agreement."
The lawyers said before they filed the motion, they took “reasonable steps to avoid any prejudice” to DaBaby, 32.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for August 20 and the trial is scheduled to start on September 3.
The alleged victim in the case, Gary Pagar, said he did not oppose the legal team dropping out as long as it didn’t postpone the trial date.
DaBaby’s lawyers are pleading with the court to push up the hearing on their motion to allow the rapper time to find new attorneys to handle the case.
The court has yet to rule on the matter. DaBaby is being sued by Gary over an alleged assault in 2020.
In his lawsuit, Gary said he leased DaBaby and his team his home in Los Angeles. He said the agreement stated the rapper could not have more than 12 people on the property at a time.
Despite the provision, Gary claimed he found out DaBaby was shooting a music video at his home with over 40 people present.
He said he drove over to the home to confront DaBaby. Gary said DaBaby punched him in the face which caused several of his teeth to fall out. Gary said he called police, but DaBaby left the home by the time they arrived.
He sued seeking damages for the alleged assault and damages to his L.A. home.
The rapper was hit with a felony battery charge over the incident. The criminal case dragged on for several months before he was sentenced last month.
DaBaby, who was represented by powerhouse attorney Blair Berk in the criminal matter, won’t have to serve any jail time. He was sentenced to one-year probation.
On top of that, DaBaby will have to pay $10,000 in restitution, keep away from Gary and is prohibited from possessing guns during the one-year period.
The civil case had been postponed for months due to the criminal case. At one point, DaBaby argued the entire case should be stayed because he could not answer questions fully until the charges had been resolved.
Recently, DaBaby’s legal team, who are trying to withdraw from the case, filed several motions ahead of the trial. They demanded the rapper’s net worth not be discussed in front of the jury.
They argued DaBaby’s, “financial net worth has no relevance to any issue in this case as it pertains to liability, would be unduly prejudicial and, in the unlikely event [Gary] could establish any claim that potentially would permit punitive damages, any evidence of [DaBaby’s] financial net worth must be precluded unless and until such a finding of liability is made.”
DaBaby has yet to respond in court.