Posted March 31, 200619 yr Rapper's family wins trial payout Notorious BIG was shot seven times after a music awards party Los Angeles authorities have agreed to pay late rap star Notorious BIG's family $1.1m (£632,000) for errors made during his wrongful death trial. Lawyers have said that an appeal to overturn a judge's order to pay compensation was now unlikely. LA police were found to have withheld relevant documents during a civil case last year and a mistrial was declared. The investigation into the rap star's shooting in 1997 has been reopened with a new team of detectives. Notorious BIG - whose real name was Christopher Wallace - was killed on a street in March 1997, after seven shots were fired into his vehicle. The shooting took place after the Soul Train Awards. Notorious BIG's family say they will go ahead with a retrial of their wrongful death case, alleging a police officer was involved in the shooting. Assisted A date for the new trial is expected to be set next month. The payment from the city authorities will most likely cover legal expenses which have been incurred by the late star's relatives. Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ruled that a police detective had intentionally concealed statements from a prison informant which could have linked two police officers with the killing. She said the information could have assisted the case of the rapper's family, who allege that rogue police officers were involved in the killing of Notorious BIG. This has been denied by city officials. City council official Dennis Zine said investigations into police malpractice brought about by the case were ongoing. "It really falls on negligence, and it's costing the taxpayers over $1m in sanctions," he said. Notorious BIG - also known as Biggie Smalls - was signed to Bad Boy records in 1993, which turned him into one of the world's most popular rap stars.
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