Snoop Dogg has been cleared of attacking a fan at a concert in Seattle by a jury in a civil court case.

The Santa Monica jury ruled that the rapper, real name Calvin Broadus, was not directly involved in the attack on Richard Monroe Jr in 2005.

However, Snoop Dogg's label and other involved parties were ordered to pay Monroe Jr $449,400 in damages although that was much lower than the $22 million the plaintiff had sought.

Monroe told the jury how at the show he thought he'd heard Snoop Dogg encourage fans to join him on stage as he began the track 'Gin and Juice'.

He then accused the Hip Hop star of hitting him with a microphone that had a knuckle-duster type handle.

Speaking about the attack, he told the court: “I was getting punched, kicked, kicked, punched. It was brutal. I was really in shock. I couldn't believe it."

The jurors were also shown several videos of the attack over the course of the two week trial, the videos contradicted the allegation that Snoop had hit Monroe.

Monroe's lawyer Brian E Watkins told the Associated Press that he and his client were happy with the rulling, adding: "We're very pleased that the jury found that this incident was not something to be taken lightly.”

(by Daniel Melia)