JERRY HELLER WINS APPEAL AGAINST DOUBLEDAY

Hollywood, CA – Record executive and business manager, Jerry Heller, won an appeal at the Second District Court of Appeal in his libel action against publishing giant Doubleday, a division of the Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., and Mark Flores, aka Ronin Ro, clearing the way for Heller to pursue his suit against Doubleday.

In its decision overturning the demurrer sustained by the Los Angeles Superior Court, the Second Appellate District found that the book, “Have Gun Will Travel: The Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death Row Records,” published by Doubleday and written by Ronin Ro, contained a false statement about Heller that was “libelous per se” because it exposed Heller to contempt and had the tendency to injure him in his occupation.

The “Have Gun” book chronicles the rise and fall of Death Row Records and its founder, Marion “Suge” Knight. Heller was the business manager of Ruthless Records and managed such artists as Eazy-E and NWA (which included current solo superstars Ice Cube and Dr. Dre). Ruthless Records was a leader in the multi-million-dollar “gangsta rap” music industry. Heller filed suit against Doubleday and Ro in 1998.

The appeal was handled by the law firm of Novian & Novian, LLP and argued by Farhad Novian and Michael Isaac Shokrian.