A federal judge has ruled that new defendants -- including Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight -- may be allowed in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the late Notorious B.I.G.'s estate.

Thanks to Judge Florence-Marie Cooper, the lawsuit may be amended due to newly discovered evidence. The suit, which accuses the Los Angeles Police Department and former officer David Mack of killing the New York rapper in 1997, will now include Rafael Perez -- Mack's former partner -- and Reggie Wright Jr., another L.A. cop.

According to Judge Cooper, new evidence shows Perez was on duty the night B.I.G. was shot while leaving a party at Los Angeles' Petersen Automotive Museum.