Rick Ross Waives Pre-Trial Appearances in Battery Case

Rick Ross has waived his right to attend pre-trial conferences in his Florida battery case, with a stay-away order now in place, Complex reports.

According to Complex, Rick Ross (legal name William Roberts II) submitted a written waiver of his right to personally appear at "any pretrial conferences" in a court document filed Thursday, October 1. The filing lets his legal team represent him in person during those proceedings as the domestic violence case moves forward in Florida. Complex notes the waiver does not resolve the charges themselves — felony battery by strangulation and misdemeanor battery — but means defense attorneys will be the only ones on Ross's side of the courtroom hearing these matters in person for now. HotNewHipHop separately reports the same development, describing it as a procedural step that establishes Ross's lawyers as his in-court presence while legal timelines are set.

For a mogul whose brand runs on presence — the MMG boss who just released 'Set In Stone' in July — choosing not to face pre-trial conferences personally is a striking legal posture. Glazer told Ross's attorney she had no idea who he was, declining to expedite his release despite the celebrity-status argument. The waiver keeps Ross physically out of the routine hearings entirely, a reversal from the post-release showmanship where, per 97.9 The Beat, he told reporters he'd be in Dubai Friday, Paris Saturday, and eating rigatoni with heavy marinara Sunday.

Complex reports the arrest affidavit identifies the alleged victim only as "JK," who reported the incident to Miami Beach Police on September 29, roughly a month after it allegedly occurred on August 28. Per the affidavit Complex reviewed, Ross allegedly became "enraged" after the woman was tagged in an Instagram photo, then is accused of repeatedly striking her, choking her until "she could not breathe," and slamming her against a wall. The Press Democrat, via the Associated Press, reports the woman told detectives she had been living with Ross, escaped the home, and later returned to collect her belongings. Ross and his attorneys deny the allegations.

The charges at stake are serious: a felony count of battery by strangulation plus a misdemeanor battery charge, per court records cited by The Press Democrat. Complex reports a stay-away order now requires Ross to avoid the alleged victim while the case proceeds, a binding constraint alongside the unresolved felony. Business interests also hang in the balance — The Real Deal reports Ross remains a partner in the EnSima development, an eight-story Miami Gardens project near Hard Rock Stadium with 670 units and 165,000 square feet of retail, with his attorney Joseph Pardo stating the project's ownership "remain unchanged and in excellent condition." Prior history adds weight: The Press Democrat notes a 2017 no-contest plea to aggravated assault under Georgia's first-offender program.

Ross has pleaded not guilty, and after posting the $5,000 bond he told reporters outside the jail, per 97.9 The Beat: "I'm totally innocent of these fabricated allegations made against me." His attorneys, Bradley Horenstein and Steve Sadow, questioned the accuser's motivations, noting she did not file a police report until about a month after the alleged incident. HotNewHipHop notes Jazzma Kendrick publicly accused Ross of abuse in September — posting a photo of an injured lip and writing that "a man that puts his hands on me, is a man that never loved me" — though the criminal case does not explicitly name her, with the affidavit's "JK" leaving fans to connect dots without confirmation.

The next fixed date is the arraignment scheduled for October 22, per The Press Democrat and 1News, where the charges will formally proceed after the not-guilty plea submitted on Ross's behalf. With pre-trial conferences now covered by his attorneys under the waiver, per Complex, the case's public rhythm shifts from courtroom spectacle to filings and deadlines. HotNewHipHop frames the open question as establishing legal timelines, while the stay-away order governs Ross's conduct toward the alleged victim in the interim. Ross has continued to maintain his innocence publicly, per 97.9 The Beat, even as the felony count remains unresolved.