Philly native Lil Uzi Vert accused of assault by New York man, again

A New York man says in a new lawsuit that he was assaulted by Lil Uzi Vert and people associated with the Philadelphia native in Manhattan.

Both parties in the dispute agree Uzi, the rapper born Symere Bysil Woods, was in New York City on the June 2023 night in question to celebrate a new album.

But for a second time, Queens resident Abdullah Ali is taking Uzi to court over the assault, this time alleging in a complaint filed in Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court that the rapper was personally involved.

Ali was walking on Park Avenue in Manhattan on June 27, 2023, and noticed a trailer labeled the Money Team, the name of the brand of boxer Floyd Mayweather. Inside the trailer was a white Rolls-Royce. Ali took photos of the luxury vehicle when, the suit says, when a “verbal exchange” that became “harmful and offensive” ensued between him and people associated with Uzi.

That’s when Ali was “taken to the ground” by Uzi and up to 10 other people who are associated with, or work for, the rapper, the suit says. The alleged assailants punched and kicked Ali, the complaint says.

The assault left Ali with a shoulder injury that required surgery and knocked out teeth, among other injuries, said Corey Morgenstern, an attorney with Hatch & Rose representing Ali.

Police arrived at the scene of the incident shortly after, according to a New York Police Department report obtained by The Inquirer, but no arrest has been made.

This all might be giving readers of celebrity news outlets such as TMZ some deja vu.

Abdullah sued Uzi and Mayweather in New York last year, alleging that the rapper’s employees assaulted him. That lawsuit does not accuse Uzi of taking part in the assault.

A federal judge dismissed Uzi and their business, Uzivert, from that case last month, saying that a court in New York was not the right jurisdiction. (The case against Mayweather continues. The boxer’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment.)

“It is undisputed that Woods was present in New York on the night of the altercation, but there is no indication their presence caused, contributed to, or was at all related to the attack,” U.S. District Judge Louis L. Stanton wrote in his opinion.

The new Philadelphia lawsuit addresses issues the judge pointed out as failings in the New York case, starting with the choice of filing in Philadelphia, where the rapper lives.

Morgenstern said that Uzi was present at the time of the alleged assault, but that Ali is not sure who threw each punch because it was a “melee” involving multiple attackers.

Michael Rose, another Hatch & Rose attorney representing Ali, chalked up the discrepancy between the lawsuits to the different requirements when filing complaints in New York vs. Pennsylvania.

Joanna Menillo, an attorney with Quinn Emanuel representing the rapper, said in a statement that she expects the Philadelphia case to be dismissed just as the New York one was.

“This case has been frivolous from the start with absolutely no evidence of any involvement by Uzi or Uzivert in this alleged assault,” Menillo said.

Uzi was in New York for the Pink Prom, a listening and launch party for the Pink Tape album, which took place at Irving Plaza, about 30 blocks south of the location of the incident. The Rolls-Royce that Ali saw was leased by Uzivert, the new complaint says.

Uzi grew up in the Francisville neighborhood of North Philadelphia, and has had run-ins with the law throughout their life. The rapper was arrested in Atlanta in 2016 for riding a dirt bike against traffic, and was briefly detained by police in North Philadelphia in 2020 for participating in a paintball fight with what seemed like real firearms.

The most serious allegations against Uzi are related to assault and threats with a firearm against an ex-girlfriend. The rapper pleaded no contest in Los Angeles to charges related to an assault with a firearm and received a sentence of three years’ probation, TMZ reported.

But Uzi also had been wrongly accused before, in a somewhat sloppy manner.

In 2023, the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department asked the public for help finding a suspect who stole a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from a shop at a local mall. Initially, the department’s social media post erroneously included a photo of Uzi.