50 cent ordered to pay $16M in headphone case

BRADENTON, Florida (AP) — Federal court records show that rapper 50 Cent has been ordered to pay a Bradenton earphone manufacturer more than $16 million in connection with a failed partnership to produce the entertainer's line of headphones...

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BRADENTON, Florida (AP) — Federal court records show that rapper 50 Cent has been ordered to pay a Bradenton earphone manufacturer more than $16 million in connection with a failed partnership to produce the entertainer’s line of headphones.

The Bradenton Herald reports that 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson III, was ordered to pay Sleek Audio nearly $4.5 million in attorney fees and $11.7 million in damages.

The U.S. District Court in Miami affirmed the award in late March after a three-year legal battle.

Records allege that Jackson, a Sleek partner, stole the designs of over-the-ear headphones he asked the company to conceptualize and manufacture. Jackson has been selling headphones of a similar design under the 50-Over line with another manufacturer.

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