Suit in slain rapper case is rejected

A Los Angeles judge threw out a defamation lawsuit by a man who contended Fox Television and a hip-hop magazine falsely accused him of involvement in the unsolved slaying of rapper Notorious B.I.G.

Tyruss Himes said he lost a record deal because of the stories by Fox-owned KTTV-TV Channel 11 in Los Angeles and XXL magazine.

Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was shot to death in Los Angeles in 1997. Recurring reports have suggested that he was killed in retaliation for the unsolved 1996 slaying of rapper Tupac Shakur, who performed with Himes.

The judge said the disputed television and magazine stories were constitutionally protected free speech.