50 Cent's legal troubles continue to grow by the day. A little over a month a go, the rapper sued hip hop publication HipHopDX for publishing his photo without proper consent. In addition, Fif accused the website of publishing "fake news" on him, although the publication contested these claims. Now, HipHopDX has filed a defamation lawsuit against 50 Cent for allegedly trying to sabotage their brand through social media posts.
The Blast reports that 50 Cent has been hit with a defamation lawsuit from HipHopDX for branding them "fake news" and attempting to sabotage their reputation and credibility. The website said in court documents that they've reported on 50 Cent truthfully. However, 50 Cent's attack on them via social media after telling his millions of followers the website was spreading lies and labeled them "as a bogus news outlet that does not check its facts."
"The celebrity known as 50 Cent has maliciously used his power and influence to falsely attack a small, independent media company for its unfavorable but entirely truthful content," the lawsuit claims. "In late June 2018, it exposed as false certain public statements made by 50 Cent claiming to have sold the rights to a three-word catchphrase for a million dollars."
They added, "False attacks by celebrities and public figures on journalists and media companies, branding them as ‘fake news,’ have become a powerful weapon for pulling readers away from otherwise respected sources. These are not merely political or public relations issues for media companies. Rather, they are attacks on a business and constitute classic defamation – false assertions to the public that are intended to, and do, damage a person or company in their professional reputation."
While 50 Cent initially sued the company for copyright infringement over a photo they used, the company argued that Fif didn't own the rights to the photo but instead "allegedly obtained the rights to for the sole purpose of bringing this lawsuit."
The website denies all allegations in Fif's lawsuit against them. They're demanding $3M in damages.
