Universal Hip Hop Museum and Universal Zulu Nation Co-Founder Mickey Bentson Sued in Chicago; Address Used in Trademark Fraud
Chicago–On Friday, April 21, 2023, Leila Wills filed a defamation lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County against the Universal Zulu Nation, Ronald Savage, Mickey Bentson, and others believed to be Zulu Nation members. For over a year, Savage recanted his allegations against Bambaataa and reclaimed his membership in the Zulu Nation. His recantation is that he told Bambaataa he was 18 at the time of the alleged abuse.
Savage, a former Democratic Committee member, made false statements accusing Wills of soliciting him into a civil conspiracy. The complaint also says that Savage and other members of the Zulu Nation engaged in a deliberate and malicious defamation campaign against her because she protested against the Zulu Nation’s perceived financial interests in the Universal Hip Hop Museum.
Wills, a journalist who has been covering and investigating the child abuse accusations against Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation for seven years, co-founded Hip Hop Stands With Survivors. After the group held a March 27th protest against the Universal Hip Hop Museum, the defendants, Savage and Bentson, concocted a scheme to hijack the group’s name and mission to confound the public. Wills realized Savage cloned the organization with his own website on March 30th and ordered him to cease and desist. He did not.
Beginning on April 3rd, Savage sent the following false statement to the media, wrote it on social media, in emails, and said on videos, “Lelia (sic) then told me that I should tell the lawyer that Bambaataa took me across state lines and molested me, which was sex trafficking. I told her that he never did that, to which she replied, "I know, but we can get Bambaataa on federal charges." I thought to myself, "Wow, she wants me to lie to the lawyer." I spoke with the lawyer, but I refused to follow Lelia's plan.”
On April 3, 2023, Savage also made an illegal and false claim with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) declaring Hip Hop Stands With Survivors as his own and applied for the trademark using Defendant Bentson’s Teaneck, NJ address. Defendant Bentson, along with Bambaataa, is a co-founder of the Universal Hip Hop Museum and a co-founder of the Universal Zulu Nation. He operates a nonprofit with rapper Ice T called Male Awareness. The nonprofit uses the same Teaneck address.
Trademark Fraud: 15 U.S. Code § 1120 - Civil liability for false or fraudulent registration: Any person who shall procure registration in the Patent and Trademark Office of a mark by a false or fraudulent declaration or representation, oral or in writing, or by any false means, shall be liable in a civil action by any person injured thereby for any damages sustained in consequence thereof.
Leila Wills (this writer) is seeking $10,000 from each of the eight defendants which is the maximum Illinois small claims court will allow. Small claims court is usually the speediest of many court processes and she believes pursuing more than $10,000 out of Ronald Savage would be fruitless.
“This illegal behavior is normal to them and indicative of what I’ve said once and I’ll say again; the Universal Zulu Nation had members around the world but it is a criminal organization at its core and should not benefit from public dollars,” Wills said. “Authorities need to investigate how many shell companies benefit from the money the museum is receiving and lead right back to these same guys. Rocky Bucano refuses to resign and Hip Hop Stands With Survivors strongly objects to public funding going to this museum.”
A status hearing is scheduled for Case Number 20231300560 on June 13th and a copy of the lawsuit will be forwarded to the USPTO. If the USPTO does not reject the fraudulent trademark application, Wills will sue Bentson and Savage in Federal Court.