The appearance of a dead body on T.I.’s MTV reality show T.I’s Road to Redemption is at the heart of a legal situation involving Viacom and its insurer, AXIS Insurance Company.
In its complaint, which was obtained by the Hollywood Reporter, Viacom details how it spent millions of dollars after Road to Redemption showed the body of Joseph Williams during the show’s premiere episode, titled “You Are Responsible for Your Own Actions.”
Road to Redemption centers around T.I. (born Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.) as he awaited sentencing on weapons possession charges and spent time counseling youth against a life of crime. The premiere episode featured the rapper visiting the funeral home where he saw the body of Williams, who was labeled a “hustler” whose parents don’t know how he died.
Williams’s family ultimately sued amid claims of invasion of privacy and negligent misrepresentations about the decedent. Despite Williams’ face reportedly being out of focus, the Hollywood Reporter mentioned additional claims brought on by the suit include violation of likeness as well as interference with the family’s contract with the funeral home. The funeral home reportedly paid to have the body cremated, the publication added.
