A$AP Rocky's Lawyer Explains Why Rihanna Brought Their Kids to Court — and It Wasn't a 'Ploy' for Sympathy

Mar. 15, 2025

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky in December 2024.Photo:Matt Crossick/WWD via Getty

Matt Crossick/WWD via Getty

Garnering sympathy forA$AP Rockywasn’t at the top ofRihanna’s mind when she chose to bring their sons, RZA, 2½, and Riot, 18 months, to court.

On Tuesday, Feb. 18, ajury acquitted Rockyof two charges of felony assault with a semi-automatic firearm after he was accused of firing a handgun at his former friend and A$AP Mob member A$AP Relli in a November 2021 altercation.

At one point, Rihanna brought RZA and Riot to court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angelesto support the rapperas the trial came to an end.

Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, discussed the Fenty Beauty founder’s decision to bring the kids to court in a Feb. 24 interview onThe Breakfast Club.

“People were thinking it was a ploy, like some sort of maneuver to get the jury to feel sympathy,” he said. “The jury’s not feeling sympathy. They know he has a wife and kids.” (Rihanna and Rocky are not legally married.)

Tacopina explained Rihanna’s choice to bring the kids “was more because it was the last day of the trial.”

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky in New York City in December 2024.Cindy Ord/WireImage

Cindy Ord/WireImage

“She brought them to court because that could’ve been the last time he’d seen his kids for a decade or more,” he told the radio show. “That’s why she brought them. Theprosecutor made a big deal of itin his summation, which I think was a fatal mistake.”

Rihanna walked in with RZA, Riot and an older woman during the prosecution’s opening statements. The couple walked out to the hallway together during a break, each holding one of their sons.

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna in New York City in September 2021.Arturo Holmes/MG21/Getty

Arturo Holmes/MG21/Getty

After the first verdict was read, Rocky quickly jumped over the stand to hug his mother and sister as well as Rihanna. “Thank y’all for saving my life,” he told the jury. “Thank y’all for making the right decision.”

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky in Paris in June 2024.Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

Rihanna recently spoke toHarper’s Bazaarfor a cover story andsaid the “greatest thing” about Rocky"is seeing him be a dad. His pureness. His charm."

“I’m annoyed because my sons sometimes just live for him more than they live for me,” she joked. “And I’m like, ‘Did you know who cooked you? Do you know who pushed you out?’ And they love him, but when I see it, oh, it’s the best."

source: people.com