Rick Ross has waived his right to appear in person at pre-trial conferences as his domestic violence case continues in Florida.
According to a court document filed on Thursday (October 1), Ross, whose legal name is William Roberts II, formally waived his appearance at “any pretrial conferences.” The decision allows his attorneys to represent him during those proceedings.
The filing follows Ross’ arrest on charges including battery by strangulation, stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident involving a woman identified only as “JK” in an arrest affidavit.
The alleged victim reported the incident to Miami Beach Police on September 29, roughly a month after it reportedly took place. According to the arrest affidavit, Ross allegedly became “enraged” after the woman was tagged in an Instagram photo.
Ross is accused of waking the woman and repeatedly hitting her, choking her until “she could not breathe,” slamming her against a wall, and causing an injury to her lip.
Ross and his legal team have rejected the allegations. An attorney representing the rapper previously described the accusations as “false” and insisted that Ross is innocent. Ross has also publicly denied the claims against him.
The arrest followed Jazzma Kendrick’s public allegations of abuse against Ross in September. “I don’t know a lot of things, but I do know that a man that puts his hands on me, is a man that never loved me and never will,” Kendrick wrote on Instagram.
A stay-away order has since been issued in the case, prohibiting Ross from contacting or approaching the alleged victim as the proceedings continue. However, the recently filed waiver does not resolve the charges against him.
