Lil Wayne Scores Major Legal Win in $20 Million Attorney Battle

Lil Wayne can finally close the book on one of the longest legal sagas of his career.

On Tuesday, October 14, according to Digital Music News, a New York judge officially ruled that a verbal agreement requiring the rapper to pay his former attorney, Ronald Sweeney, 10% of his profits is no longer enforceable — freeing Wayne from millions in claimed legal fees.

The clash began back in 2019 when Wayne sued Sweeney, arguing that the alleged 10% deal was excessive and never legally binding since it wasn’t in writing. Wayne also asserted that the arrangement should have ended when he fired Sweeney in 2018. Sweeney countersued, demanding $20 million tied to post-termination deals.

Judge James D’Auguste sided with the Young Money mogul, ruling that Sweeney is not entitled to the 10% contingency fee. Instead, he can only pursue “reasonable fees,” which will be decided in upcoming proceedings.

Wayne’s attorney, Jonathan Davis, praised the ruling, telling Billboard:

“After an almost seven-year battle in multiple courts in New York and California, lawyers can rest a little easier in knowing that the rule of law still matters and will be applied faithfully by courts.”

This decision marks a major victory for Wayne, who’s been entangled in the high-stakes case for over seven years. The next phase will focus on calculating what, if anything, Sweeney is owed for his 13 years of legal work with the Grammy-winning rapper.