Georgia Entertainment Scene
Georgia Entertainment Scene

Memphitz loses appeal in 'Love & Hip Hop Atlanta' defamation case

Memphitz lost a defamation case against "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" and also lost the appeal. K Michelle never said his name on the show but accused him of abuse, which he has denied. CREDIT: Getty Images

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Memphitz lost a defamation case against "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" and also lost the appeal. K Michelle never said his name on the show but accused him of abuse, which he has denied. CREDIT: Getty Images
By
Nov 8, 2016

This was posted Tuesday, November 8, 2016 on Rodney Ho's AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

The Georgia Court of Appeals today has denied Memphitz's appeal in a defamation case against VH1's "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" producers.

Record producer Memphitz - whose real name is Mickey Wright, Jr.— in his original lawsuit alleged he was defamed during the 2012 debut season of the hit VH1 show, which has now aired five seasons. He claimed slander over comments made about him by his former girlfriend and R & B singer K. Michelle (real name: Kimberly Michelle Pate ) accusing him of physical abuse and embezzlement.

His name was never mentioned on the show but news sites identified him as the alleged culprit. He later denied the charges in media interviews and social media.

And here was my 2012 story of Memphitz's initial lawsuit

The Fulton County judge Robert McBurney decided in favor of the defendants last year, including NFGTV, Inc. (Eastern TV), and Monami Entertainment LLC , the show's production companies.

Toya Wright, another reality show star and entrepreneur, recently filed divorce papers against her husband Wright. The couple appeared earlier this year on "Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars." The boot camp clearly didn't work.

About the Author

Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.

Follow Rodney Ho on facebookFollow Rodney Ho on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Doug Turnbull, former WSB radio traffic reporter, is joining 11Alive on June 23, 2025. (Courtesy of 11Alive)

Credit: 11A

Longtime radio traffic reporter Doug Turnbull moves to 11Alive

Doug Turnbull, who left WSB radio last year after 20 years, is trying his hand at TV for the first time on 11Alive.

What’s filming in Georgia in June 2025?

As of this past weekend, the Georgia Film Office has 25 active film and TV productions on its list, which has been typical over the past 12 months.

5 Southern beach reads for your summer reading

Summer is upon us, time for some beach reading. Here are five possibilities.

The Latest

Will Packer at the premiere of "Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist" at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2024. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

‘Ride Along’ producer Will Packer promotes ‘healthy arrogance’ in new book

Check out three new reality shows with Atlanta ties

For character actor French Stewart, Atlanta has become home

Featured

Since 2023, customers of Georgia Power, which operates Plant Vogtle, have experienced six PSC-approved rate hikes. Polls open Tuesday for primary elections to select candidates for Georgia’s powerful utility regulatory board. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Today’s primary could help determine how much you pay for electricity

It’s the first time Georgia’s approximately 8.4 million registered voters have had the opportunity to vote in a Public Service Commission primary election in three years.

Atlanta finally has new tree protection rules. Some say it’s not enough.

Several Atlanta City Council members said they believe more needs to be done to protect trees in the “city in the forest."

Feds say Georgia tax preparer’s fraud likely cost the U.S. millions

Years of fraud by a Georgia tax return preparer has likely cost the IRS millions of dollars, the Justice Department says in a lawsuit seeking to put her out of business.