50 Cent is asking a judge to keep portions of his former partner Shaniqua Tompkins’ court filings out of the public eye as their legal battle over her life story continues.
According to new court documents, the rapper claims Tompkins has used the case to make “inflammatory and defamatory allegations” about him that have nothing to do with the contract at the center of the dispute.
“If Tompkins’ inflammatory and defamatory allegations in her pleadings are permitted to enter the public record without restriction, the resulting harm to my personal and professional reputation will be immediate, severe, and irreversible,” 50 Cent said in the filing.
The case began after G-Unit Books sued Tompkins last year, arguing that she violated a 2007 agreement granting the company the rights to tell her life story. The company is seeking at least $1 million, claiming Tompkins broke the deal by sharing videos online based on events from her past relationship with 50 Cent.
Tompkins, however, argues the agreement should not be enforced. In an affidavit filed earlier this year, she claimed she signed the contract only after feeling threatened.
“Fearing for my life and for my children’s lives, I signed the agreement under extreme duress,” she wrote.
Tompkins said Chris Lighty, who was 50 Cent’s manager at the time, arrived at her Las Vegas hotel room with another man after she repeatedly refused to sign.
A judge recently denied G-Unit Books’ request for a default judgment and gave Tompkins more time to respond.