Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson attends the season three premiere of the STARZ drama “Power” in New York in 2016.
AP
Rapper 50 Cent has filed a lawsuit against a Miami-Dade County plastic surgery center over promotional material and a dispute involving a penis procedure. A federal judge said this week the lawsuit has merit and won’t be dismissed.
Curtis J. Jackson III, 50 Cent’s legal name, filed suit in Miami federal court in September against Angela Kogan and her business, Perfection Plastic Surgery & Med Spa in Sunny Isles Beach.
Jackson says he had agreed to take a picture with Kogan in 2020 because he thought she was a fan, the lawsuit claims. The “In Da Club” rapper said he did not know the picture would be used to promote her business.
“In the over two years since the photo was taken, [Kogan and her business] have used Jackson’s image and name for advertising and publicity purposes on [Kogan’s] social media accounts,” the suit says. “Jackson never consented to his image, likeness, and name being used in this manner.”
Kogan’s attorney, Darren Adam Heitner, told the Miami Herald he had no comments on the suit. Jackson’s legal counsel could not be reached by phone or email on Wednesday.
On Monday, Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. ruled against dismissal, so the case will continue.
“As the proverbial saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words,” Scola wrote. “This one in particular depicts a worldwide celebrity next to Kogan with MedSpa’s name repeated all throughout the background. The promotional value is evident.”
The picture was also used in an article written by The Shade Room, a pop-culture entertainment organization, that had Kogan discussing the increase of male plastic surgery with an emphasis on penis enhancement, according to the lawsuit.
The article never explicitly said Jackson had received enhancement surgery, but his lawyers argue “the implication was clear.” It did, however, say Jackson was a client of the Med Spa.
Jackson says he has never had plastic surgery from Kogan or MedSpa, and hasn’t had enhancement surgery, according to the lawsuit.
“’Kogan’s’ actions have exposed Jackson to ridicule, caused substantial damage to his professional and personal reputation, and violated his right to control his name and image (which has significant economic value),” the suit says.
Jackson is seeking monetary damages for damage to his reputation. The suit also seeks to block Kogan from sharing the photo or saying he had plastic surgery at her business.
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Miami Herald Real Time Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers breaking news, Florida’s coronavirus pandemic and general assignment. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida and grew up in Miami. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.
