Suge Knight Strikes Seven-Figure Deal to Dodge Retrial Drama

Suge Knight, the controversial former music executive and co-founder of Death Row Records, has agreed to a seven-figure settlement with the family of Terry Carter — the man he fatally struck with his truck in 2015. The agreement was finalized during a Los Angeles court hearing on Tuesday (April 29), marking the end of a years-long legal battle and averting a retrial that was set to begin within days.

According to Rolling Stone, Knight will pay a total of $1.5 million to Carter’s family. The payout will be divided equally among Carter’s widow, Lillian Carter, and their two daughters, Nekaya and Crystal, with each receiving $500,000.

This civil case stems from a tragic incident on January 29, 2015, when Knight ran over Carter near the set of the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. Knight later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence handed down by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen.

Although a wrongful death lawsuit followed shortly after his conviction, the legal proceedings have been anything but smooth. The first trial ended in a mistrial in 2022, with jurors deadlocked 7-5 in favor of holding Knight liable. A retrial was scheduled, but with Knight's legal representation in flux — his attorney, David Kenner, had been attempting to withdraw from the case — the court insisted on moving forward without any further delays. Jury selection was slated to begin Thursday, prompting Knight to take the settlement route.

Despite the legal resolution, emotions remain raw. Lillian Carter, while not fully satisfied with the outcome, expressed her reluctance to endure another emotionally taxing trial. “I’m not happy with the outcome of it, at all, but I don’t want to give him another opportunity to put on a clown show and act like a bitch,” she told Rolling Stone. “Maybe somebody will shank him in jail.”

Suge Knight, meanwhile, maintains that the fatal incident was accidental. In a post-settlement statement, he claimed that Terry Carter was a friend and that he never intended to harm him.

“One of the reasons I settled is because I have respect for Terry, and by extension, his family,” Knight said. “I didn’t want to put them through more pain. It’s not that I did anything wrong — I never would have. But I do owe the family an apology because of what they’ve had to endure.”

Carter’s family had originally sought $81 million in damages, according to their attorney in 2022. While the $1.5 million settlement falls far short of that amount, it brings a measure of closure to a legal saga that has dragged on for nearly a decade.

Source: Hiphopdx

Image: Suge Knight in 2007 by Nick Leisure is licensed under CC BY 2.0