The G-Unit honcho 50 Cent posted to Instagram mocking the unbeaten boxing superstar who just filed a whopper of a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Business Insider. Insider Inc. and reporter Daniel Geiger are named as defendants for publishing a "knowingly false and defamatory" story that was not only "'reckless' and 'disregarded the truth,'" but deliberately misrepresented Mayweather's real estate empire and caused him "extreme" harm, the suit claims.
"Well, the case is on hold anyhow because you didn't do the deal properly, but I would have been whacked," 50 Cent added in the now-deleted Instagram post, alongside a video of the lawsuit coverage. "He had to have separately named the writer for that writer to have to pay his team of lawyers. Champ mad." He didn't stop there, either. On Tuesday, the rapper-turned-TV mogul questioned the strength of the lawsuit, arguing that "it doesn't have any legs to stand on."
The suit, filed in George Makris's name and reported earlier by The New York Post, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and asserts the article inflicted him severe damage, specifically emotional distress, damage to his reputation, and significant financial losses, which included "lost lease opportunities" and "emergency rent-freeze concessions" linked to his properties. The boxer asks for $100 million in damages, a public retraction, and an injunction.
"This case is about the truth and clearing my name," Mayweather's lawyer, Bobby Samini, said. "It's to hold the press accountable for when they go out of the bounds of reporting and actually to seek to do meditated character assassination.
Mayweather echoed the sentiment, saying, "I'm 48 years old, and I've never sued a media outlet … I have always been rated based on how I conduct myself when promoting a fight. Judge me as you know the man."
Meanwhile, Business Insider fired back with its gloves up, announcing, "We will energetically defend against this meritless attempt to discredit our reporting and smear our reporter."
Then, 50's post disappeared from his Instagram in the days after, and it's unclear what happened to it, whether he deleted it or it was removed after garnering a little too much attention. Regardless of whether Mayweather secures the legal knockout when the drama plays out inside the ring, 50 Cent's colorful commentary is right there with it–and that man knows how to fight to win.
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