50 Cent’s publishing company G-Unit Books has sued Shaniqua Tompkins, his ex-girlfriend, after she promoted a tell-all content online.
Documents AllHipHop was able to collect claim that her action is in violation of a 2007 contract she signed with G-Unit Books. In the transaction, 50 Cent (Curtis James Jackson III) alleges Tompkins sold the exclusive rights to her life narrative to G-Unit Books for $80,000 plus future profits.
The allegation is based on a series of social media video interviews. In these “tell-all” videos , she describes her relationship with 50 Cent and their son, Marquise. She claims 50 abused her during her pregnancy and was aggressive throughout their relationship.
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“Capitalizing on her recent notoriety from a ‘viral’ post commenting on testimony in the high-profile ‘Diddy’ trial, Tompkins has repeatedly and deliberately exploited the very rights she conveyed to G-Unit Books,” the complaint reads.
According to Billboard, after Tompkins went viral with the Instagram post, she allegedly continued to explicitly violate the life rights contract by publishing a series of “tell-all” videos on the social media platform.
These videos, which are collectively well over two hours, mostly center on Tompkins’ relationship with 50 Cent, according to the lawsuit. Other topics covered include the rapper’s long-running battle with Combs and his notorious shooting in 2000.
“Tompkins’ actions are an attempt to exploit her 15 minutes of fame for commercial gain, even though she is contractually prohibited from doing so,” lawyers for G-Unit Books wrote.
This conduct has supposedly harmed G-Unit Books by “diminishing the value of the exclusive rights it acquired and undermining its ability to develop and market future works based on those rights,” the lawsuit stated.
In addition to a court order compelling Tompkins to cease posting these videos and take down the content she has already published, 50 Cent’s publishing business is requesting at least $1 million in damages. He also wants her to pay for his legal fees throughout the entire process.
According to 50 Cent’s attorney, Reena Jain, “Tompkins’ behavior was intentional—she explicitly referenced the very agreement she breached while actively breaching it, stating it was something that was ‘going to have to be worked out legally,'” as reported by AllHipHop.
“Jackson purchased these rights to preserve them for use in future biographical or autobiographical projects, but also in part because he was concerned that Tompkins would attempt to monetize their history and his name. His concerns were ultimately proven correct,” Jain added.
50 Cent and Shaniqua Tompkins dated on and off during the 1990s. Their romance ended long before he rose to international stardom with his debut studio album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. In October 1996, they welcomed Marquise, their only son. Following their separation, the two were involved in a lengthy custody dispute that, according to People, didn’t officially end until October 2008.
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