The LA Times has retracted an article the paper published that linked Bad Boy music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs and Czar Entertainment head Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond to the 1994 attack of rap icon Tupac Shakur.
As SOHH previously reported, the paper has already apologized for its reporting, with writer Chuck Philips admitting he had been "duped," but now the Times has officially retracted the story in its entirety as well as allegations that Diddy or Henchman had anything to do with the pistol whipping or shooting of Pac outside of Quad City Studios in New York City.
The article which first appeared March 17 on latimes.com under the headline "An Attack on Tupac Shakur Launched a Hip-Hop War," incited a firestorm of criticism for alleging that Rosemond, then a talent manager; Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant, a figure on the New York hip-hop scene; and James Sabatino, purportedly one of Diddy's associates, plotted the assault on Pac because they were angry that he didn't want to sign with Bad Boy.
The Smoking Gun responded days later with its own in-depth report, revealing that the FBI reports the Times based its story on was fabricated and that Sabatino had completely made up his role in the attack as well as his relationship with Diddy.
Now, the Times is retracting "all statements in the article, and in its related publications, that state or suggest in any way that Rosemond, Agnant and Sabatino orchestrated or played any role in the assault on Shakur or that they lured him into an ambush at the Quad studios," according to the paper.
The article has been completely removed from the newspaper's website. The Times further clears Diddy of any wrong doing, saying, "to the extent these publications could be interpreted as creating the impression that Combs was involved in arranging the attack, The Times wishes to correct that misimpression, which was neither stated in the article nor intended."
Rosemond has vehemently denied any involvement in the attack on Tupac from the beginning. His attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, released a statement on behalf of his client:
"We're pleased that the LA Times has gone further in admitting that not only were the FBI reports fake which implicated Mr. Rosemond but that the underlying claims about his involvement in the assault on Tupac were fake as well," the statement read. "We hope that in the future the Times recognizes that fabricating scurrilous accusations in an effort to sell newspapers completely undermines their credibility and guarantees that any profits made from selling such garbage will be disgorged in litigation."
Diddy also issued statements of denial through his lawyer, both before and after the original story was published.
http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/14494
