A United States magistrate judge has ruled that Muni Long’s former managers cannot subpoena her medical records in their defamation lawsuit against the Grammy-winning rhythm and blues (R&B) singer.
The ruling limits what Chaka Zulu and Jeff Dixon can obtain as they seek to prove she falsely accused them of having her involuntarily committed to a mental health facility.
In an order issued Thursday (Oct. 8), Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn said the records are protected by medical privilege, whether held by the facility or by Long herself. The managers may seek non-medical information, but not records or details about her care.
“Plaintiff may ask Hamilton about the circumstances of her admission to the clinic but may not seek discovery of her medical records and treatment,” the judge wrote.
Background of the dispute#
Zulu and Dixon, veteran music managers known for their long partnership with Ludacris, sued Long in October 2025 through their company Ebony Son Entertainment. They claim she refused to pay more than $600,000 in commissions after firing them, and they described her as a “serial grifter” who had “shamelessly reneged” on her promises.
In a media statement responding to the case, Long’s representatives said Zulu and Dixon had at some point taken her phone and “sought to have her involuntarily committed to a mental health facility,” when what she needed was treatment for a Lupus flare-up.
Long countersued in January, claiming she had “experienced excruciating pain and mental anguish” from being “forced” to remain at the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Behavioral Health Center in March 2024. She later dropped that accusation from the litigation.
Last month, Zulu and Dixon added a defamation claim, calling the public allegations about involuntary commitment “outlandish” and false. They said: “That statement is a blatant lie designed to disparage plaintiff’s reputation in the music industry.”
Why the judge blocked the subpoena#
Attorneys for Zulu and Dixon had sought access to “essentially all documents related to Hamilton’s treatment” at the Cleveland Clinic, including her “diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment.” They argued she had waived doctor-patient privilege by raising the issue in the lawsuit.
Judge Netburn noted that Long had dropped those claims. “Hamilton’s initial counterclaim … put her mental health at issue and, thus, would have waived her privilege,” the judge wrote. “But Hamilton never released her records before she withdrew the counterclaim, and therefore her privilege was reinstated.”
The managers’ lawyers argued the medical records were the “best (and likely the only) contemporaneous evidence” to help prove they did not involuntarily commit their client. The judge said that was not enough to override medical privilege.
“This is true even if, as Ebony Son contends, her medical records are ‘the best’ evidence to prove the falsity of Hamilton’s statements,” Judge Netburn wrote. “Indeed, the nature of evidentiary privileges is that they will sometimes block a party from relevant discovery.”
Current claims#
Attorneys for both sides and representatives for Long did not immediately return a request for comment.
Following Thursday’s ruling, the case remains at the earliest stages. The claims now include:
- Zulu and Dixon: defamation, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and other wrongdoing over Long’s alleged failure to pay commissions.
- Long: breach of fiduciary duty through alleged failures in their managerial roles.
