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50 Cent’s bid to quickly squeeze a million dollars out of his ex, Shaniqua Tompkins, over a stalled G-Unit book deal just hit a wall in New York commercial court, at least for now.
In a recent ruling, a Manhattan judge refused to hand 50 Cent’s G-Unit Books an automatic default judgment, even though Tompkins missed earlier deadlines to respond to the $1 million lawsuit over her life rights agreement.
The court found G-Unit Books had not yet shown enough proof to lock in its full damages request, effectively pausing 50 Cent’s push for a quick financial knockout while the messy backstory around the contract gets sorted out.
The rap star alleged the tell-all content should have been exclusively his.
In earlier filings, they accused her of “wrecking” the potential book by spilling details online and in interviews.
50 Cent insists her unauthorized commentary made the exclusive rights essentially worthless and justifies at least $1 million in damages.
The agreement, signed at the height of the 50’s dominance, allegedly gave G-Unit Books broad, exclusive, and perpetual control over Tompkins’ life story, name, and likeness.
In exchange, Tompkins received an $80,000 advance and the promise of future royalties from a planned book.
According to court filings cited by AllHipHop, 50’s camp argues that Tompkins treated the contract as valid for years in other legal disputes.
She then suddenly flipped the script once she got called out for blabbing salacious details about their relationship and the alleged physical abuse she suffered at his hands.
Lawyers for G-Unit Books previously told the court they wanted a fast-tracked win, slamming Tompkins for blowing off a September response deadline.
Tompkins, however, has fought back hard in recent months, claiming in a sworn affidavit obtained by AllHipHop.
She argued that she was emotionally and financially dependent on 50 Cent when the deal was pushed on her and that the life rights contract was never a real choice.
The judge’s latest ruling neither clears Tompkins nor kills the case.
It does mean 50 Cent will have to do more than point to missed deadlines and heated affidavits if he wants to turn this contract beef into a seven-figure payday.
