News

Shaniqua Tompkins, 50 Cent's ex-girlfriend, has served the rapper with a $50 million lawsuit. She claims the former couple is married by common law rules and that Fiddy set fire to his own Long Island home to avoid honoring a spoken agreement between the two.

"There wasn’t a written contract but an expressed oral agreement, which is recognized in the New York courts," Paul Catsandonis, Tompkins' lawyer, told The Hudson Reporter. "They decided years ago that she was going to be the domestic partner, and she was going to provide the domestic services while he devoted all his time to becoming a hip-hop artist. Whatever profits he was able to achieve would be divided equally, and he had promised her and their son that they could live in the house. He breached that contract."

50 Cent's home was destroyed in May after he'd successfully evicted Tompkins. She filed a restraining order soon afterwards, barring 50 Cent from seeing his 10-year-old son. He then countered Tompkins' claim with a $20 million defamation/family court suit.

A judge ordered 50 Cent not to sell his home last month. He's also kept the rapper from collecting on any insurance money until a full investigation is completed. While the NY State Supreme Court will start hearing insurance case arguments on July 15, Suffolk County's Family Court will deal with 50 Cent's visitation rights case on July 17.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
07.09.08