The administrator of the Nipsey Hussle estate, his brother Samiel Asghedom (aka Blacc Sam) is suing those caught selling bootlegs of Hussle’s clothing line, Marathon Clothing.
The fake merchandise is being sold in neighborhoods as well as online. Amazon, eBay and Etsy all had bootleg merchandise for sale online.
Greedy websites in Illinois and China are allegedly profiting illegally from Hussle-owned trademarks, and Asghedom has filed for a judge to order the websites to give the estate $2 million for each infraction or ownership of the domains and all profits illegally received.
The bootleggers reportedly stole several of Hussle’s logos, including from “Crenshaw” and “South Central State of Mind” merchandise. The federal lawsuit filed in Illinois stated that the bootleggers did not have permission to use the logos from the Nipsey Hussle estate.
Hussle was murdered in 2019 outside of his Marathon Clothing store in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hyde Park. The father of two young children was 33 years old.
The alleged shooter was an acquaintance of Hussle’s and an aspiring rapper named Eric Holder. Holder reportedly shot and killed Hussle after the Grammy-winning artist told him that he was being called a “snitch.” Holder was allegedly a member of the Rollin 60s gang. He was arrested in April 2019.
The entrepreneur was also known for his community building and was deeply mourned, especially in Los Angeles. After news of Hussle’s death spread, the store’s entire inventory quickly sold out.
Asghedom won a similar suit in 2020 against the Crips LLC. The estate sued the company for false advertising and trademark infringement. The Crips said that Hussle had known about their use of his tagline “The Marathon Continues” prior to his death and had no issue with it. The lawsuit was settled on March 25, but the details are unknown.
