LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles officials will not prosecute rapper T.I. or his wife Tiny over 2005 sexual assault allegations because the statute of limitations in the case has expired, documents show.
The statute of limitations in such cases is 10 years, and the decision to decline the case was based on that timeline, according to documents from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Earlier this year, the woman reported to Los Angeles police that while with friends in 2005, she met the couple and believed they sexually assaulted her, a document from the DA states. Her attorney said she was drugged and raped.
T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, and his wife Tiny, Tameka Harris, have denied any allegations of misconduct.
“Mr. and Mrs. Harris are pleased, but not surprised, by the district attorney’s decision to dismiss these meritless allegations,” the couple’s attorney, Shawn Holley, said in a statement Thursday. “We appreciate the DA’s careful review of the case and are grateful to be able to put the matter behind us and move on.”
The woman who made the accusation has not been publicly identified. Her attorney has said that she was given a drink by Tiny, and that later in the couple’s hotel room, she became lightheaded and dizzy and was sexually assaulted.
“The decision by the L.A. prosecutor does not vindicate Clifford Harris or Tiny Harris from the acts of raping and drugging Jane Doe,” the woman’s attorney, Tyrone A. Blackburn, said Thursday.
“It only amplifies the need to do away with the statute of limitations for sex crimes,” he said.
A dozen women have accused T.I. and Tiny of sexual assault or misconduct, and some of the allegations involved suspected drugging, their attorneys, Blackburn and Los Angeles lawyer Lisa Bloom, have said.
T.I. and Tiny have not been charged with any crime. Another attorney for them, Steve Sadow, said in March that the couple “continue to deny in the strongest possible terms these groundless and unjustified allegations.”
A spokesman for the Los Angeles County DA said the office had no further comment.
In February, MTV Entertainment said it was suspending production of the VH1 show “T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle” due to the allegations.
