50 Cent has racked up significant wins in music, film, and business throughout his career. Unfortunately, his winning streak hasn’t always translated in the courtroom. According to Reuters, 50 Cent’s $32 million malpractice lawsuit against his former lawyers was thrown out by a federal judge.
On Friday (June 30), the “I Get Money” rapper, real name Curtis Jackson, received the news of the case’s dismissal after U.S. District Judge Vanessa Bryant made her final ruling. In a statement about the case, Judge Bryant said, “Without more, the court cannot conclude the conflict of interest impacted counsel’s discovery strategy, or that the conflict caused Jackson to lose at trial.”
Jackson attempted to sue his former legal team at Reed Smith for $7 million in damages and $25 million in punitive damages. The suit stemmed from his 2015 bankruptcy filing after his longtime foe Rick Ross’ ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child, Lastonia Leviston, took Jackson to court for posting a sex tape of her without her permission. In that case, Leviston won a $7 million judgment which Jackson is looking to redeem from his former counsel due to their “uninformed” legal strategy.
The complaint alleged that the agency had an apparent conflict of interest due to their past dealing with Rick Ross, which was “neglectful, negligent, and unethical.” At one point, Ross was called to be a key material witness by the firm.
The mogul’s paperwork also rattled off other grips, commenting, “Reed Smith and Raymond did not follow established legal standards in representing Jackson in the Leviston Case by failing to provide effective representation and conduct proper pre-trial and trial preparation prior to the Leviston trial. In addition, their lack of effective representation and inadequate pre-trial preparation and preparation for trial caused Jackson to retain new counsel on the eve of trial.”
At this time, it is not clear whether or not Jackson will refile with additional proof substantiating his initial claims.
