Juvenile Isn't Liable For Injuring Cop's Knee

A Florida court has decided that Juvenile isn't liable for hurting a Jacksonville police officer's knee during a July 1999 scuffle at a local mall.Officer Mellisa Huxley-Bujeda filed a lawsuit against the New Orleans rapper in 2003, claiming that he was responsible for a knee injury she received after an altercation and arrest.

Juvenile and members of his entourage were shopping at the Regency Square Mall when security guards asked them to leave because they were swearing and violating its dress code. Some members of his posse were apparently wearing various coloured bandannas, which can sometimes signify a gang affiliation. Certain malls across the U.S. have instituted an anti-bandanna policy to try and keep gang members out.

Huxley-Bujeda was called to the scene to issue a trespassing warning, and she claims that her knee was hurt while she attempted to control Juvenile during an ensuing brouhaha. They struggled on the ground as the cop tried to handcuff the former Cash Money artist, whose Reality Check album topped the U.S. sales chart earlier this year. Juvenile was eventually subdued, arrested and charged with breach of the peace and resisting an officer with violence.

The charges were later dropped, but Huxley-Bujeda filed a suit that sought almost $70,000 U.S. in medical bills for subsequent operations on her knee.

Juvenile's lawyers called a number of witnesses to the stand on Thursday, including an expert who revealed that the officer had degenerative arthritis for years and had actually injured her knees about 35 times as a child while taking part in cheerleading, gymnastics and other physical activities.

"We got them, we got them, we got them," Juvenile told Jacksonville's Times-Union newspaper. "Just the fact that it's a rap artist against the police, that never happens.

"Rappers never win. We never win against the police or the government... let this be a lesson to all pedestrians out there. Targeting entertainers ain't the quickest way to get rich."

Juvenile has written a song about the trial called "The Verdict" that may be included on his next album.

"I got to benefit off this in some kind of way," he said.