A Maryland Capitol police officer who alleges he was assaulted trying to get his wife out of rapper Trey Songz's hotel room in 2021 has scored a big legal victory against the artist. Songz has been ordered by a judge to pay $11 million in damages to one Tyrelle Dunn in a default judgment in connection with the case.
It happened at The Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas, where Songz was celebrating his 37th birthday. As Dunn put it in his lawsuit against Songz, Dunn's wife was among a group of women brought to the hotel, where she allegedly cried out for help and claimed to have been held there against her will. Dunn sustained injuries in getting his wife out of the situation, the result of an alleged attack by Songz's security entourage as well as Songz himself, including fractures to his eye sockets and scarring.
Songz was cleared of any criminal charges in the case in 2022 (with the investigating Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department pledging to reopen the case if any future evidence should come to light), at which point Dunn filed suit in civil court. The rapper never responded to the lawsuit, resulting in the $11 million default judgment. The damages include the usual medical expenses, restitution for pain and suffering, and punitive damages.
The case is far from the only legal trouble Songz has faced. He's been accused of sexual misconduct in several lawsuits relating to multiple incidents going back to 2013, accusations that Songz and his representation have consistently denied.
As to the most recent ruling, whether Songz intends to pay off the judgment quickly or pursue whatever legal options may remain to him is still to be seen. In the meantime, he doesn't appear to have commented publicly on the case as of this writing.