Judge denies Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube's plea to avoid deposition in $1M fraud lawsuit

A Los Angeles judge has denied rappers Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube’s request to avoid being deposed in a $1 million fraud lawsuit filed by Westside Merchandising.

As reported in a US Weekly exclusive on October 28, 2025, the rappers had argued they lacked relevant knowledge about the dispute, but the court ruled otherwise on October 22, 2025.

The judge reportedly determined both were “actual signatories” to the agreement at issue and that no evidence showed Westside intended to harass or embarrass them through the depositions. The ruling means the two artists must testify under oath in connection with the ongoing legal case involving their hip-hop supergroup, Mount Westmore.

More about the lawsuit against Snoop Dogg

Westside Merchandising filed the lawsuit against Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40, and Too Short, claiming the rappers failed to fulfill the terms of a 2022 contract tied to a planned Mount Westmore tour. The company stated that it paid $1.3 million in advances after being informed that the group would embark on a 60-date tour across the U.S. and Europe.

Westside also alleged it was promised exclusive rights to sell merchandise at each tour stop and that Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube, who have been named as “key men” in the agreement, would feature in a promotional video and appear at one of its retail outlets to publicize the deal.

According to court filings, Westside claimed these obligations were never met. The group allegedly performed only three shows in 2022, none in 2023, and none in 2024, and no promotional videos were delivered. Westside said it requested that the $1.3 million be returned, but the defendants refused, resulting in the fraud lawsuit.

Legal response Mount Westmore

In response to the complaint, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and their Mount Westmore bandmates denied all allegations of wrongdoing. Representatives for E-40 and Too Short stated they were not parties to the disputed contract. Their attorney, Frank Seddigh, told Us Weekly that the group “has always conducted their business in good faith and with integrity.”

Seddigh also added that multiple attempts to resolve the matter amicably had failed and accused Westside of withholding royalty payments and accounting records owed to the artists. Seddigh maintained the lawsuit was “entirely baseless and without merit.”

Westside’s lawyer, John Fowler, presented different facets, accusing the rappers of avoiding accountability, saying

"Defendants in this case are trying to hide from having their depositions taken because they are scared of answering difficult questions."

Fowler also said his client lost millions in potential merchandise revenue while the defendants “enriched themselves at my client’s expense.”

Mount Westmore, formed by Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40, and Too Short, debuted in 2022 with an album of the same name. The group’s collaboration was widely seen as a major West Coast rap project, but legal tensions with Westside Merchandising have since overshadowed its future touring and business plans.

Following the October 22 ruling, Snoop Dogg, 53, and Ice Cube, 56, will be questioned under oath in the ongoing proceedings. Their motion for a protective order was denied, as the court found their direct involvement as signatories made them central to the case. The next phase of the case will determine whether the $1.3 million advance must be repaid or if Westside’s claims of fraud are substantiated.

Edited by Devangee