Judge Refuses to Void Verdict Against Def Jam
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A federal judge refused to set aside a $132-million verdict levied against Vivendi Universal’s Island Def Jam record label, saying a jury’s findings established the company’s “dishonest or disingenuous intention” to back out of a deal it had reached with a smaller label.
Def Jam and its chairman, Lyor Cohen, had asked U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York to rule that independent TVT Records failed to present sufficient evidence to support an award of damages in the case. A jury in March found the label and Cohen liable for reneging on a deal to let TVT release an album featuring Def Jam rap star Ja Rule.
Universal declined to comment, but it previously said it planned to appeal. The company is expected to seek a reduction of the judgment amount.
--Jeff Leeds
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