Lisa Maree Williams/Getty ImagesSnoop Dogg's gotta say this is a good day.
A jury found Friday that the rapper wasn't at fault for injuries a Seattle man suffered at a 2005 concert when he tried to get onstage while Snoop was performing, clearing the 39-year-old Doggfather of assault and battery allegations.
The panel did determine, however, that plaintiff Richard Monroe Jr.—who sued in 2006 claiming he thought he had been invited onstage, only to be jumped on by Snoop's entourage once he got up there—had suffered major injuries and should be compensated.
Record label Doggystyle Records and Soopafly, another of the performers Snoop shared the bill with, have been ordered to pay Monroe nearly $449,000 in damages for medical expenses, etc. The plaintiff had been asking for at least $22 million.
"We're very pleased that the jury found that this incident was not something to be taken lightly," Monroe's attorney, Brian E. Watkins, said.
Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, testified last week at trial that he had not hit Monroe—and video footage of the incident supported his story. The "Gin and Juice" rapper was not in court for the verdict today.
(Originally published May 8, 2009, at 4:07 p.m. PT)