LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Lil Twist, the rapper best known as the sidekick of Justin Bieber, was ordered by a judge on Wednesday to pay $1.5 million to an actor he assaulted several years ago.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Kalin announced the award following a brief non-jury trial that the singer did not attend.
The 24-year-old rapper last November was sentenced to a year in prison in the case after he pleaded guilty to assaulting fellow artist and former child star Chris Massey in 2014 at an apartment in Los Angeles.
He was released from prison in March.
According to court records, Lil Twist, whose real name is Christopher Moore, beat up Massey after the latter asked him to leave a party.
The Texas-born singer returned an hour later with four friends and pummeled Massey with brass knuckles and a screw driver.
“Moore repeatedly called Massey the ‘N-word’ and then ordered the other unknown assailants to steal plaintiff’s (Rolex) watch and wallet,” according to the suit.
It added that the rapper also ordered his accomplices to remove Massey’s pants, leaving him in his underwear.
Massey suffered cuts and bruises during the altercation and had to have stitches over one eye.
Lil Twist had until recently been a constant presence around Bieber, frequently appearing at parties with the onetime teenage star who became notorious for his legal run-ins.
He is signed to rapper Lil Wayne’s label Young Money and his songs include “Twerk,” which features both Bieber and Miley Cyrus.
© Agence France-Presse