50 Cent has decided to drop his defamation lawsuit against his ex-girlfriend, Daphne Joy, after she accused him of rape and physical abuse earlier this year. Filed in May, the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice on September 9 in Harris County District Court, which allows for the possibility of refiling in the future, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, brought the lawsuit against Joy following an Instagram post she made that accused him of serious offenses, including rape and physical abuse. The post, which has since been deleted, also criticized Jackson’s relationship with their 12-year-old son, Sire, alleging he had only seen the child ten times in two years, despite their move to New York to be closer to him. Joy expressed frustration over what she described as an undeserved public image, writing, “I am tired of upholding and protecting an image to our son that you have never even earned. Let’s put the real focus on your true evil actions of raping me and physically abusing me.”
Jackson’s lawsuit claimed that Joy’s accusations caused significant damage to his reputation and were a “purposeful attempt” to interfere with his relationship with his son. His filing also suggested that Joy’s post came as a response to news reports that he was seeking custody of their son, which surfaced on the same day she made her accusations. The lawsuit sought over $1 million in damages for the harm he says was done to his personal and professional life.
Joy denied other allegations that surfaced in a related context, including claims of being labeled as a “sex worker,” which she called “100% false and character assassination” in another Instagram post. In his suit, Jackson alleged that Joy’s statements were meant to damage his reputation, affect his business interests, and interfere with his custody case.
