The family of the late Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace have suffered a major upset in their search for justice after their second wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and former LAPD officer Rafael Perez was dismissed by a federal judge.

According to reports, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ruled on Monday (December 17) that the rapper’s family did not claim against the city within the necessary time frame in the lawsuit filed in April.

Wallace’s mother, Voletta Wallace, and his widow Faith Evans had previously attempted to sue the city in 2002 alleging wrongful death and claiming corrupt former LAPD officers Rafael Perez and David Mack conspired with Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight to have Wallace killed, however, the suit ended in a mistrial after it was revealed that the LAPD had purposely withheld evidence.

Attorneys for both sides agreed to enter into mediation presided over by a magistrate judge last week in the second lawsuit, however, as a result of Monday’s ruling the trial, which was set to begin in February, has been delayed indefinitely.

"This was not the primary civil-rights claim, that suit is still going forward," explained Perry Sanders, the lead attorney in the Wallace family’s ongoing wrongful-death suit against the city and LAPD. "This was a standalone action based on state laws, but the rigorous rules state that if you don’t file suit within six months of the injury, then the suit cannot go forward, and we didn’t find out that Pérez was on duty until August 2006."