NEED TO KNOW
Lil Nas X appeared in court following his release from an inpatient treatment program, nearly three months after he was arrested on assault charges in Los Angeles.
The Grammy winner (né Montero Hill), 26, entered the L.A. courtroom on Monday, Nov. 17 with a smile on his face, according to Rolling Stone, as a judge signed a protective order that covers the transfer of discovery in his case.
The appearance marked the “Old Town Road” singer’s first in court since leaving the inpatient treatment program he checked into after he was arrested on Aug. 21 for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
“As you can see, Montero is doing amazing, doing great and we’re super happy for him,” Lil Nas X’s attorney Drew Findling told reporters after the hearing, according to Rolling Stone.
“We’re looking forward to a positive resolution in this case, which we’re very confident of,” Findling added.
BACKGRID
Lil Nas X is next set to appear in court on March 12.
The musician was absent from his previous court date in September. His lawyers said at the time that he was undergoing inpatient treatment out of state after being arrested and subsequently released from jail in August.
After the hearing, Findling told reporters that “we’re doing what is best for [Lil Nas X] from a personal standpoint and a professional standpoint, but most importantly, for his well-being,” according to Rolling Stone.
“He is surrounded by an amazing family, an amazing team of people that care about him and love him,” he said. “He’s had a great life, and he’ll continue to have a great life. This is a bump that he’s going to get over.”
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Lil Nas X was arrested on Aug. 21 after police responded to reports of him allegedly walking around naked along Ventura Blvd. in Los Angeles, per a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department.
When police arrived at the scene, the star allegedly used “force and violence [to] inflict and injury” upon three different police officers, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.
The complaint noted that the singer “did unlawfully attempt by means of threats and violence to deter and prevent” a fourth officer “from performing a duty imposed upon such officer by law.”
Lil Nas X appeared before a judge on Aug. 25 and waived his arraignment and pleaded not guilty to three counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer.
The judge set his bail at $75,000 and required the rapper to attend four Narcotics Anonymous meetings per week. Lil Nas X was released from jail the same day.
The next day, he broke his silence on the incident with a video message shared to his Instagram Stories that assured fans he would “be alright.”
“Your girl is gonna be okay, boo. Okay? S—’s gonna be all right,” he said in the video. “S—’s gonna be all right. S—. That was f—ing terrifying. That was terrifying. That was a terrifying last four days. But your girl is gonna be all right.”
His attorney, Christy O’Connor, denied claims that drugs were involved in the incident. “Assuming the allegations here are true, this is an absolute aberration in this person’s life,” she said in court, per the Associated Press. “Nothing like this has ever happened to him.”
Lil Nas X is facing up to five years in prison if convicted, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.
