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Cypress Hill "Back-Up Singer" Loses Grand Theft Auto Lawsuit
Pictured above: not Michael "Shagg" Washington.
Michael "Shagg" Washington, a man who claims to be a back-up singer for the '90s hip-hop group Cypress Hill, also claimed to be the inspiration for the character Carl "CJ" Johnson from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He was not successful with the latter claim.
Washington sued Rockstar back in 2010 claiming that he had a two-hour conversation with the developer about his "troubled life" growing up in Los Angeles. Washington said he did not receive compensation for his contributions and sued Rockstar for 25% of San Andreas' profits, amounting to a total of around $250 million. You can read more about Washington's mostly absurd claims by checking out our original story covering the lawsuit.
The judge for the case announced a verdict saying that the, "plaintiff is relying entirely on CJ's physical appearance in the game, but that appearance is so generic that it necessarily includes hundreds of other black males." The judge also said, "Washington has presented no evidence demonstrating that the plot or characters of GTA: San Andreas have any relevance to his life or his purported fame."
Nice try "Shagg". Better luck next time.
In other Grand Theft Auto news, our GTA V cover reveal happens next week!
[via CVG]
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