NEWS
50 Cent is in the clear to start collecting after emerging victorious in a seven-figure lawsuit filed against his former Sires Spirits employee Mitchell Green.
Court records obtained by The New York Post claimed Green, the Brand Management Director at Le Chemin du Roi champagne, had been “embezzling” upwards of $2 million from the company until he was caught in 2020.
The champagne company, which translates to “The King’s Path,” was created in 2019 through 50 Cent’s brand Sire Spirits.
While the champagne already costs over $150 a bottle, Green had reportedly been inflating the prices and pocketing extra kickbacks from wholesalers that he claimed were “agency fees,” court documents show.
The court issued a final award of $6,194,293 in favor of Sire Spirits in October 2021, which included pre-judgment interest, attorney’s fees, arbitrator compensation and other fees.
Green challenged this ruling and tried to have the award vacated, but the court denied his request last June. The court then added on an additional $89,305.50 in attorney’s fees last November.
Per AllHipHop, the court demanded last week that Green pay a total of $6,283,598.50 in compensatory damages, plus pre-and post-judgment interest. If Green does not pay, 50 Cent reportedly plans to begin seizing his personal property and other assets.
Additionally, the Power mogul is also suing Michael Caruso, who reportedly concocted this scheme with Green by claiming to have a connection with the Taittinger champagne family, which proved to be fabricated. Per the original lawsuit, Caruso and his wife reportedly invoiced Green for their cut of the profit.
Sire Spirits are suing the Carusos, his employer Beam Suntory, and others for unspecified damages as well.
In other news, 50 Cent is also reportedly nearing a settlement with Remy Martin in relation to the pair’s lawsuit over the Branson Cognac bottle. The cognac brand had initially sued 50’s Jackson’s Sire Spirits in 2021 and accused the Branson Cognac bottle design of being a rip-off of Remy Martin’s Centaure de Diamant bottle.
According to multiple outlets, E. Remy Martin & Co claimed in a Manhattan court on February 3 that the Branson bottle was a “blatant attempt” to copy its X.O. design. The company described it as “nearly indistinguishable” from Remy Martin’s bottle, and called it a “near exact reproduction.”
50 Cent had previously commented on the allegations in a since-deleted Instagram post, claiming that Remy Martin was just jealous of Branson’s successes.
“They are afraid of me already,” Fif wrote. “Branson Cognac is the new wave. REMY is #2 Behind Henny and worried about Branson SMH I’m just getting started.”
KATSEYE have officially begun a fresh chapter with the announcement of their forthcoming single, Pinky Up.
The K-pop girl group sparked curiosity online after sharing a string of mysterious posts that quickly had fans trying to piece together the clues.
The first teaser, posted on March 30, featured the Mona Lisa gently raising a hot cup of tea with her pinky finger lifted. The next video, uploaded the next day, showed an arcade claw machine labeled with the group’s name pulling a sword from a mix of sparkling plush toys and a single teacup. Making things even more intriguing, the caption stated: “We’re screaming from cloud nine!!”
Their third update finally revealed the song title along with its cover art. The image showed a figure kneeling on a rug next to a teacup and a toy cat, while the title appeared in bright hot pink text across the visual. The group also confirmed the release date as April 9.
Pinky Up will arrive just one day before KATSEYE appear at Coachella on April 10, which will mark their first time performing at the famous festival.
The single also marks their first comeback since HYBE and Geffen confirmed that member Manon Bannerman would be stepping away for a period of time to prioritize her “health and well being.”
In a message posted on Weverse, they shared: "Hello. After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing."
The group expressed that they “fully support this decision,” and added: “KATSEYE remains committed to showing up for one another and for the fans who mean everything to us. We look forward to being together again when the time is right.”
While she is away, the group will continue promotions with Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung.
They closed their message by saying: “Thank you to our EYEKONS for your continued love, patience, and understanding.”
