Proof, a member of rap group D12 and a close friend of Eminem, shown in a March 13, 2003 file photo taken in Detroit. The family of Army veteran Keith Bender has filed a lawsuit against the rapper's estate. Authorities say Proof, whose real name was Deshaun Holton, shot Bender before being killed by another man. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Lawsuit Filed in Rapper Proof Shootout
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 11:53 AM EDT
The Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — The family of Army veteran Keith Bender has filed a lawsuit against the estate of rapper Proof, who authorities say shot Bender before being killed by another man.
Police say Deshaun Holton, who performed as Proof, got into an altercation with Bender at the CCC, an after-hours club on Detroit's Eight Mile Road, on April 11, and it escalated when shots were fired.
Holton, who was 32, was a member of the rap group D12, which also featured Eminem. He was the best man at Eminem's wedding in January.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Wayne County Circuit Court, Bender's family said Holton was liable for attacking and wounding the 35-year-old Bender, who died a week later.
The lawsuit does not name a specific amount sought. An earlier lawsuit filed in the incident was dismissed.
Prosecutors say Bender's cousin, Mario Etheridge, shot Holton in an act of self-defense after Holton shot Bender.