Morgan settles suit with Wal-Mart
Actor-comedian Tracy Morgan has settled his lawsuit against Wal-Mart over a highway crash that killed one man and left Morgan and two friends seriously injured. A filing in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday referred to a confidential settlement reached by the two sides.
Morgan’s lawyer, Benedict Morelli, said he and Wal-Mart worked diligently to reach the settlement for the plaintiffs and their families. “Wal-Mart took full responsibility for the accident, which we greatly appreciate,” he said in a statement.
Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. called it an “amicable settlement.” Details weren’t disclosed.
A Wal-Mart truck slammed into the back of a limo van carrying Morgan and the others back from a show in Delaware in June. Comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair was killed. Morgan suffered head trauma, a broken leg and broken ribs and is still recovering.
Wal-Mart reached a settlement with McNair’s two children in January. McNair, of Peekskill, New York, grew up with Morgan in New York City and was a friend and mentor to him over the years.
The truck driver, Kevin Roper, of Jonesboro, Georgia, faces several criminal charges, including death by auto, in state court. He has pleaded not guilty. He wasn’t a defendant in Morgan’s federal lawsuit.
Morgan, who starred on “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock,” suffered what his lawyer has referred to as a traumatic brain injury. The lawyer said in March that Morgan wasn’t fully recovered but was “working very hard to get better, physically, emotionally and mentally.”
Knight pleads he’s too ill to go to court
Former rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight refused to leave his jail cell for a scheduled court hearing Wednesday, claiming he was sick, court officials said.
Knight was a no-show for the downtown Los Angeles hearing related to charges that he and comedian Micah “Katt” Williams face for allegedly robbing a photographer last year in Beverly Hills, court officials said.
Knight said he was ill and refused to be transported to court, officials said.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Cohen postponed the hearing until Friday. If Knight refuses to appear again, Cohen will order deputies to extract him from his cell, court officials said.
Knight is being held on $10 million bail on charges of murder and attempted murder for allegedly running over two men with a truck at a Compton restaurant earlier this year. Terry Carter died and Cle “Bone” Sloan was seriously injured.
The birthday bunch
Actress Carroll Baker is 84. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Jerry West is 77. Singer Gladys Knight is 71. Actress-director Sondra Locke is 71. Singer John Fogerty is 70. Country musician Jerry Douglas (Alison Krauss and Union Station) is 59. Actor Brandon Cruz (TV: “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father”) is 53. Singer Kylie Minogue is 47. Television personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck is 38. Pop singer Colbie Caillat is 30. Actress Carey Mulligan is 30.