NEW YORK Sep 23, 2005 — Foxy Brown, who is facing legal problems in an alleged fight with two Manhattan nail salon workers, says she’ll take a break from performing to have surgery for a hearing defect.
Prosecutors allege that Foxy Brown, with a cell phone clutched in her closed fist, attacked and kicked one worker in an argument over payment for a manicure. She hit a second worker in the face, authorities said.
The 26-year-old rapper is charged with misdemeanor assault, attempted assault and harassment. She appeared Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court, where Judge Martin Murphy set a Dec. 5 trial date.
She refused to discuss the cause of her hearing problems, but said an operation is planned soon. Foxy Brown said she will make her last public appearance Sunday before having the surgery.
The rapper, who talked about her hearing difficulty after her court appearance, obviously strained to hear questions.
Brown has rejected at least two misdemeanor plea deals that would have let her avoid jail time for the alleged Aug. 29, 2004, assault.
"I’m innocent," she said Thursday. "I feel like I’m being railroaded."
Her lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said he’s confident that Foxy Brown will be acquitted if the case goes to trial.
"I hope and pray that it isn’t because of her celebrity that this case isn’t being resolved," Tacopina said.
He said actors Christian Slater and Robert Iler "came out of here with breaks.
I hope it’s not because she’s a rapper."