Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has just found himself $2 million deeper in the hole.
The “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” rapper has been hit with $2 million in punitive damages, for posting a sex tape featuring Lastonia Leviston online.
Previously, the rapper had been hit with $5 million in damages in the case.
“The jury saw through the lies and punished Mr Jackson, we are so happy for Lastonia, she deserves this,” Leviston’s lawyer, Hunter Shkolnik, told TheWrap.
Leviston had accused the rapper of posting a sex tape of her online, presumably to humiliate fellow rapper Rick Ross, with whom Leviston has a child. (The video depicts Leviston with another man.)
Earlier this month, a jury hit Jackson with a $5 million verdict in the matter, after which the rapper declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
This week, Jackson testified in Manhattan Supreme Court that his flashy lifestyle is largely an illusion. The rapper told the court that, after posing for pictures with flashy vehicles and accessories, “I take the jewelry and the cars back to the stores,” the New York Daily News reported.
Jackson also downplayed his income from record sales, claiming, “I make 10 cents a record,” and said that he’s only made in the area of $150,000 from each of the first two seasons of the Starz drama “Power,” which he executive produces.
During that court date, Jackson’s lawyer put his client’s worth at $4.4 million, prior to the $5 million award levied against him.
However, Shkolnik scoffed at the rapper’s claims of modest financial means, calling them “almost laughable.”
“It’s almost laughable for Mr. Jackson to think anyone believes he’s broke and that everything is smoke and mirrors,” Shkolnik said. “His business entities show otherwise.”
In May, Forbes estimated 50 Cent’s net worth at $155 million.