K. Michelle and Memphitz: Defamation Suit, Appeal, and Aftermath

The lawsuit between K. Michelle and Memphitz was a defamation case Mickey “Memphitz” Wright Jr. filed in federal court in 2012 against Viacom and the producers of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta over singer K. Michelle’s on-air claims that a former Jive Records executive had beaten her and stolen her money. He lost at trial in April 2015 and lost his appeal in November 2016.

The Allegations That Started It

K. Michelle and Memphitz dated from roughly 2008 to 2009, while she was an aspiring singer signed to Jive and he was a rising executive running his own label under L.A. Reid.¹ The relationship ended after a 2009 hotel altercation the two sides described very differently. K. Michelle said Memphitz beat her, put a pillow over her mouth, and threatened to kill her, and that he took her advance money.² Memphitz said she acted inappropriately at a business meeting, that she started the physical confrontation back at the hotel, and that he only put his hand over her mouth to stop her yelling. He denied hitting her. Police were called; no criminal charges against him have been documented.³

The money side was contested too. K. Michelle said her deal had been worth $2 million and that Memphitz took her advance. He said the deal was $500,000 and that he kept only what his label was owed.³

The story went national in the summer of 2012, when K. Michelle joined the first season of VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and described the abuse and theft on air. The show never named Memphitz — reportedly because his lawyers had warned producers against doing so without proof — but gossip sites named him within days, and he publicly acknowledged she was talking about him.³

The Defamation Suit

On September 5, 2012, shortly after the season wrapped, Memphitz filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Wright v. Viacom International, Inc. et al (Case No. 1:2012cv03100) named Viacom International, Monami Entertainment, and NFGTV, Inc. as defendants and was assigned to Judge Orinda D. Evans.⁴ He alleged the defendants had knowingly broadcast false statements to boost ratings, causing emotional injury, reputational damage, and lost future earnings, and he asked for a jury trial.¹

His attorney Alcide Honore called K. Michelle’s account a “patently false framework of facts” and said Memphitz “didn’t do anything to break any laws.”¹ Another of his attorneys, Conti J. Moore, described K. Michelle as an “opportunist” who exploited “society’s tendency to accept claims of domestic violence as always being true, even in the absence of proof.” K. Michelle, represented by Matt Middleton, said she stood behind her story “100%” and looked forward to having “the truth of my story confirmed in a court of law.”⁵

Why Memphitz Lost

Discovery cut against him. In his deposition, Memphitz acknowledged a 2009 physical altercation, said he had placed a pillow over K. Michelle’s mouth while she cried during an argument to quiet her, and admitted he had pinned her to the ground and covered her mouth.² Those admissions matched key elements of what K. Michelle had said on the show.

On April 9, 2015, the court ruled for the defendants. The judge found the producers had acted with reasonable diligence in airing the claims, that the allegations were “substantially true,” and that Memphitz had failed to show actual malice or negligence. His own deposition testimony, the court noted, supported the show’s content.²

The Appeal

Memphitz appealed. In November 2016, the Georgia Court of Appeals denied the appeal, ending the litigation.⁶

What Happened After

K. Michelle spoke publicly during and after the case about domestic violence and the pressure she faced to stay silent. Responding in September 2014 to the release of Memphitz’s deposition, she said: “Domestic abuse isn’t just defined by whether a person strikes you with an open hand or a closed hand or whether a person kicks you or spits on you, abuse is abuse and there should be zero tolerance.” On HuffPost Live in March 2016, she said industry higher-ups had told her “to be quiet” when she first tried to report the abuse and that she had feared being blackballed for speaking out.⁷ In a 2016 Essence interview, she acknowledged the mixed public response: “I’m not some passive little girl so it’s hard for some people to feel sorry for me.”⁶

The fallout for Memphitz was significant. By his own account, the allegations led to him being “ostracized by his record label and the music industry.”⁸ His marriage to reality personality Toya Wright ended; the couple announced their separation in February 2015, and she filed for divorce on July 8, 2016, citing the marriage as “irretrievably broken.”⁹ In March 2018, Memphitz appeared on Iyanla: Fix My Life, where he described the collapse of his career and a turn to drugs “to numb his pain.”¹⁰ Essence has reported that K. Michelle and Memphitz eventually reconciled on a personal level, though no details about the nature or timing of that reconciliation have been publicly reported.⁶

1
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Memphitz Sues K Michelle for Defamation
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Memphitz Loses Defamation Case Against Love and Hip Hop Atlanta and K Michelle
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Vibe. K Michelle vs Memphitz Continues Physical Abuse Allegations
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Justia. Wright v. Viacom International, Inc. et al
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The Christian Post. K Michelle Fires Back at Memphitz Defamation Lawsuit
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Essence. K Michelle Hard for People to Embrace Me as Victim Because Im Outspoken
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HuffPost. K Michelle Told to Stay Quiet
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Oprah.com. Iyanla Help My Son Mickey Memphitz Wright
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Essence. Toya Wright Memphitz Divorce Plans
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Oprah.com. Addicted to Fame Mickey Memphitz Wright