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.”
10cc drummer Paul Burgess has announced that he is leaving the band because the demands of touring have become too much for him.
The 75-year-old musician, who also spent time performing with Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works, has chosen to walk away from the legendary rock group after more than five decades.
He shared: “After so many wonderful years with 10cc, I must admit that the rigours of touring are no longer manageable for me as I get older, and I feel it’s time to let go of the long hours in airports and endless travel on buses.
“I’m not planning to stop playing altogether. I will still perform but at a pace that feels right, working alongside old friends and a new group of fellow musicians called The Guilty Men.”
Frontman Graham Gouldman confessed that it will feel unusual to perform without his “longest-running musical associate.”
He explained: “When Paul and I first joined forces in 10cc, we never could have imagined that we’d still be at it after 30 years, let alone 52.
“Paul has been my longest musical partner and it will feel different to turn around and see another drummer, but I completely understand why he no longer wants to sit on a plane for 14 hours or wake up in a new hotel every day for weeks at a time.”
Ben Stone, who has previously played with Mike and The Mechanics and Bonnie Tyler, will be taking over on drums.
Paul, who had several runs with 10cc after joining in 1973, performed his final show with the I’m Not In Love band in Alexandria, Virginia this past September.
The group is set to continue their And Another Bloody Greatest Hits Tour in the UK next year.
