Rick Ross scored a legal win this week as Florida prosecutors dropped the most severe charge in his domestic violence case.
The rapper was arrested on Oct. 1 and charged with battery by strangulation, a felony that can carry up to five years in prison, as well as misdemeanor battery. But in a Thursday (Oct. 29) court filing, obtained by Billboard, Miami prosecutors said they have “insufficient evidence” for that felony charge and will instead move forward only with the misdemeanor. That count carries a shorter maximum jail sentence of one year if convicted.
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Ross has pled not guilty in the case. His attorney Bradley Horenstein told Billboard on Friday (Oct. 30), “While we believe that both charges should have been dropped, we are happy the prosecutors took their time to make sure not to file a charge for felony strangulation when it never happened.”
Prosecutors allege that Ross struck his then-girlfriend, model Jazzma Kendrick, at their shared home in August. Kendrick first went public with these claims in a series of Instagram stories in late September. According to People, Kendrick shared photos of facial injuries with the caption, “The day Rick busted my lip and the day I left.”
Ross’ lawyers have strongly denied the allegations. “William Roberts II, professionally known as Rick Ross, is being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear,” said Horenstein and co-counsel Steve Sadow in a statement to Billboard upon his arrest. “The ex did not even file a police report until Sept. 29, a month after the claimed incident allegedly took place on Aug. 28, 2026.”
A judge released Ross on a $1,000 cash bond following his arrest. During the initial court hearing on Oct. 1, Horenstein cited Ross’ celebrity status to ask for an expedited release. But Judge Mindy Glazer was not impressed.
“Hi, Mr. Roberts,” said the judge. “I have no idea who you are except as someone here in the court who’s going to be treated fairly like everybody else here.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated that Ross’ charges have been reduced. It has been corrected to reflect that one of two charges was dropped.
