News of September 8, 1997
Orlando Anderson Sues Tupac's Estate Over MGM Grand Beating
One year after the hotel brawl, the man police named as a suspect sued Tupac's estate, Death Row, and Suge Knight.
On the evening of September 8, 1997, Orlando Anderson filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Tupac’s estate, against Death Row Records, and against Suge Knight. He sought damages for physical injuries and severe emotional distress. Tupac and several Death Row associates had allegedly attacked him on September 7, 1996, in the lobby of the MGM Grand, hours before Tupac was shot.
“If There Is a Victim, It Is My Client”
His attorney Renee L. Campbell acknowledged that police had named Anderson as a suspect in the fall of 1996, but denied any involvement in the shooting. If there was a victim here, it was her client. The Los Angeles Times called the lawsuit unusual because it brought Anderson back into the spotlight of the murder case. Representatives of the estate and Death Row initially did not comment.
Four days later, Afeni Shakur responded with a lawsuit of her own. What MTV reported: Orlando Anderson Sues Tupac’s Estate and Suge Knight.