50 Cent said he had a decent legal team, but he may be wondering that now. After 50 Cent took the shrewd measure of filing bankruptcy in Connecticut to protect himself from being sued into the poor house, a jury just added insult to injury and upped the amount he was ordered to pay his opponent in a lawsuit.
50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, was accused of invading Lastonia Leviston’s privacy by posting a sex tape of her and her boyfriend, with his own narration edited over top of it. Leviston was a former girlfriend of Rick Ross, 50 Cent’s rap rival. On the tape, 50 Cent can be heard taunting Ross.
The jury was not impressed, first ordering 50 Cent to pay Leviston $5 million, now adding another $2 million to that total.
50 Cent’s attorney responded to the bad news, saying, “Although we appreciate the jury’s service, we are disappointed in the result. Our client intends to file post-verdict, pre-judgment motions which we believe should reduce the size of the award. Ultimately, the fate of any obligation to pay a final judgment will be determined by the bankruptcy court.”
When news broke two weeks ago that 50 Cent was filing bankruptcy, fans thought that meant he was broke. Far from it.
“I’m taking the precautions that any other good businessperson would take in this situation,” 50 Cent said about his filing. “You know when you’re successful and stuff, you become a target. I don’t wanna be a bullseye. I don’t want anybody to pick me as the guy that they just come to with astronomical claims and go through all that.”
50 Cent even joked about his bankruptcy himself.
“Walt Disney has filed bankruptcy. Donald Trump has filed bankruptcy,” 50 Cent explained. “It means you’re reorganizing your finances, but it does stop things from moving forward that you don’t want moving forward.”
“I got a decent legal team,” he assured fans. “You don’t have to worry.”
Whether 50 Cent will have to pay anywhere near the sum the jury awarded Leviston remains to be seen.