Curtis Jackson III, the rapper known as 50 Cent, was at the Palm Beach County courthouse today for a hearing in a lawsuit.
The rapper and his attorneys entered the courthouse around 9 a.m. to attend a hearing regarding a lawsuit with audio company Sleek Audio over his successful line of headphones. they left just before noon.
Jackson, dressed casually in a dark button-down shirt, black slacks and gold-tipped suede sneakers, smiled at onlookers and even posed for pictures while he was waiting for his hearing to begin. He was also wearing a necklace and a medallion of the logo SMS, a nod to the audio company that produces his line of headphones.
During a break in the hearing, Jackson posed for pictures with fans before ducking into a hearing room with his attorneys.
On his way out, Jackson spoke on several topics, from the court case to his ongoing feud with former friend, boxing champ Floyd Mayweather.
“You see this in here? They’re trying to rob me,” Jackson said of the court hearing.
Attorneys for Sleek Audio, however, say Jackson was the one doing the stealing. According to court records, Sleek Audio officials say Jackson stole the company’s mechanical designs for his own line of headphones “while he was a Sleek owner and board member.”
the case went to arbitration in West Palm Beach in February 2013, according to court records. in July of that year, the arbitrator ordered Jackson to pay Sleek Audio more than $16 million.
Court records also show that Jackson filed a complaint against Sleek Audio in federal court in Sept. 2013 regarding a purportedly vague arbitration hearing, claiming that an arbitrator was biased against him due to his race, status as a high-profile rapper and association with members of the Nation of Islam and other controversial figures.
Jackson eventually dropped the racism claims but still argues that the arbitrator exceeded his powers by awarding attorney’s fees to Sleek Audio and making a ruling in reference to a webpage connected to the products. He also claimed that the arbitrator was guilty of misconduct by refusing to hear other issues pertinent to the case.
Sleek Audio’s attorneys, who won a request to get the case moved out of federal court and brought the case to Palm Beach County, raised their objections to Jackson’s claims before Palm Beach Circuit Judge Peter Blanc.
After more than an hour of arguments in the case, Blanc said he would take the remarks from both sides under advisement and issue a ruling later.
Jackson is being represented by West Palm Beach attorney John Mariani of Shutts & Bowen, LLP, according to court records.
After an early life of crime, drugs and violence, Jackson turned to a career as a rapper, according to Biography.com. He was promoted by hip-hop legends Dr. Dre and Eminem, and he became a star with his debut release, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, in 2003. That album is listed as the 10th-best selling rap album of all time with 8.1 million copies sold, according to complex.com. He is considered one of the major figures in early 21st century “gangsta” rap.”
A throng of fans gathered outside the courthouse by the time he was leaving today. He smiled with fans and even joked about his pledge to give $750,000 to the ALS Foundation if Mayweather could read a page aloud from Dr. Seuss’ “Cat in the Hat” without making a mistake. Jackson had previously asked Mayweather to read a page from “Harry Potter” for the challenge.
“He’s not going to do it,” Jackson said of the Mayweather challenge. “He’s going to stumbler over his words, and he doesn’t want you guys to see that.”
Perhaps the most touching moment of Jackson’s time at the courthouse came during a break in the hearing, when a reporter introduced him to Palm Beach County Assistant State Attorney Jessica Kahn. Kahn recently prosecuted a rape case involving a victim with Down’s Syndrome.
The young woman, Kahn said, is a huge fan of Jackson’s and Kahn was able to use her love of his music to establish a rapport with her. Kahn played for Jackson a recording of the victim rapping along to one of his songs. He bobbed his head to the beat, a wide smile crossing his face as she sang.
“I really appreciated that,” Jackson later said of the recording.
Before he could elaborate, a throng of female fans who had spotted him approached him, and deputies whisked him away on an elevator. Jackson on his way to a waiting car said he was headed back to Los Angeles today.
Blanc did not say when he expected to rule on the case
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/rapper-50-cent-appears-in-palm-beach-county-court/nhBKS/
The rapper and his attorneys entered the courthouse around 9 a.m. to attend a hearing regarding a lawsuit with audio company Sleek Audio over his successful line of headphones. they left just before noon.
Jackson, dressed casually in a dark button-down shirt, black slacks and gold-tipped suede sneakers, smiled at onlookers and even posed for pictures while he was waiting for his hearing to begin. He was also wearing a necklace and a medallion of the logo SMS, a nod to the audio company that produces his line of headphones.
During a break in the hearing, Jackson posed for pictures with fans before ducking into a hearing room with his attorneys.
On his way out, Jackson spoke on several topics, from the court case to his ongoing feud with former friend, boxing champ Floyd Mayweather.
“You see this in here? They’re trying to rob me,” Jackson said of the court hearing.
Attorneys for Sleek Audio, however, say Jackson was the one doing the stealing. According to court records, Sleek Audio officials say Jackson stole the company’s mechanical designs for his own line of headphones “while he was a Sleek owner and board member.”
the case went to arbitration in West Palm Beach in February 2013, according to court records. in July of that year, the arbitrator ordered Jackson to pay Sleek Audio more than $16 million.
Court records also show that Jackson filed a complaint against Sleek Audio in federal court in Sept. 2013 regarding a purportedly vague arbitration hearing, claiming that an arbitrator was biased against him due to his race, status as a high-profile rapper and association with members of the Nation of Islam and other controversial figures.
Jackson eventually dropped the racism claims but still argues that the arbitrator exceeded his powers by awarding attorney’s fees to Sleek Audio and making a ruling in reference to a webpage connected to the products. He also claimed that the arbitrator was guilty of misconduct by refusing to hear other issues pertinent to the case.
Sleek Audio’s attorneys, who won a request to get the case moved out of federal court and brought the case to Palm Beach County, raised their objections to Jackson’s claims before Palm Beach Circuit Judge Peter Blanc.
After more than an hour of arguments in the case, Blanc said he would take the remarks from both sides under advisement and issue a ruling later.
Jackson is being represented by West Palm Beach attorney John Mariani of Shutts & Bowen, LLP, according to court records.
After an early life of crime, drugs and violence, Jackson turned to a career as a rapper, according to Biography.com. He was promoted by hip-hop legends Dr. Dre and Eminem, and he became a star with his debut release, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, in 2003. That album is listed as the 10th-best selling rap album of all time with 8.1 million copies sold, according to complex.com. He is considered one of the major figures in early 21st century “gangsta” rap.”
A throng of fans gathered outside the courthouse by the time he was leaving today. He smiled with fans and even joked about his pledge to give $750,000 to the ALS Foundation if Mayweather could read a page aloud from Dr. Seuss’ “Cat in the Hat” without making a mistake. Jackson had previously asked Mayweather to read a page from “Harry Potter” for the challenge.
“He’s not going to do it,” Jackson said of the Mayweather challenge. “He’s going to stumbler over his words, and he doesn’t want you guys to see that.”
Perhaps the most touching moment of Jackson’s time at the courthouse came during a break in the hearing, when a reporter introduced him to Palm Beach County Assistant State Attorney Jessica Kahn. Kahn recently prosecuted a rape case involving a victim with Down’s Syndrome.
The young woman, Kahn said, is a huge fan of Jackson’s and Kahn was able to use her love of his music to establish a rapport with her. Kahn played for Jackson a recording of the victim rapping along to one of his songs. He bobbed his head to the beat, a wide smile crossing his face as she sang.
“I really appreciated that,” Jackson later said of the recording.
Before he could elaborate, a throng of female fans who had spotted him approached him, and deputies whisked him away on an elevator. Jackson on his way to a waiting car said he was headed back to Los Angeles today.
Blanc did not say when he expected to rule on the case
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/rapper-50-cent-appears-in-palm-beach-county-court/nhBKS/
