Being a bitch isn’t as bad as it used to be.
A Manhattan judge ruled yesterday that a foulmouthed Funkmaster Flex didn’t slander rival hip-hop DJ Big Steph Lova when he allegedly called her a “bitch,” “slut” and “whore” – because those words have little meaning anymore.
“Although the court does not approve of such statements allegedly used . . . [Lova] fails to state a claim for slander,” state Supreme Court Justice Emily Jane Goodman ruled, striking down a part of the silky voiced stunner’s $5 million lawsuit against Flex.
Goodman found that while Flex’s words were filthy, they weren’t slander because they were said in the heat of the moment and the derogatory words aren’t as foul as they used to be.
Flex, whose real name is Aston Taylor, allegedly unleashed his raunchy rap on the 6-foot Lova, whose real name is Stephanie Saunders, during a late-night altercation outside of the studios of radio station Hot 97, where Flex is a top-rated DJ.
“Even if Taylor’s use of ‘bitch,’ ‘slut’ and ‘whore’ can be normally understood to impute unchastity to plaintiff in this day and age when such terms are used generically, the context of Taylor’s alleged assault of plaintiff negates any implication of factuality and renders those statements hyperbole or epithets which are exempt from action as slander,” the judge wrote.
Lova “alleges that Taylor called her a whore, slut and varieties of bitch during the alleged altercation” last September, Goodman’s decision says.
Among the “varieties” of the b-word that the Power 105 DJ says Flex broke out on her included calling her a “broke-ass bitch,” “ungrateful bitch,” “stupid f- – – -g bitch” and “dumb bitch.”
Lova’s lawyer, Stephen Chukumba, said he was actually happy with the judge’s decision, because it does allow most of her suit to go forward, including her assault claim.
The 250-pound Flex was charged criminally for the run-in, and eventually pleaded guilty to a charge of harassment, which is a violation. He was sentenced to 35 hours of community service. He admitted getting into a shouting match with his former colleague, but denied he ever hit her.
The former friends’ feud started when Lova was interviewing rap star Nas, and he accused Flex and his radio station of “engaging in dirty politics,” and accused Flex “of accepting bribes known as ‘payola’ to play certain songs on his shows,” Goodman wrote. Both Flex and Hot 97 have hotly denied the charge.