50 Cent is facing a new civil lawsuit over an incident last summer in which he was captured on video throwing a microphone at a concert, filed by a Los Angeles radio host who says she was struck by the mic and suffered “severe and permanent injuries.”
In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles court, Power 106 host Bryhana Monegain accused 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) and concert giant AEG of legal negligence over the August episode, in which the rapper chucked the mic off to the side of the stage after he became frustrated that it was not working.
Monegain – who publicly shared images of gash on her forehead the next day – claims in her lawsuit that the microphone hit her in the face and left wrist, causing major injuries.
“Plaintiff was transported by ambulance to the Los Angeles General Medical Center emergency department for treatment of injuries, including but not limited to, a concussion, laceration over her forehead, and pain in her left wrist,” her lawyers write. “Plaintiff complained of dizziness, headaches, light and sound sensitivity, and nausea [and] continues to suffer from here severe injuries and emotional distress.”
Part of the incident — which happened on Aug 30. while 50 Cent was performing at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles as part of his Final Lap Tour — was captured in viral videos. In them, the rapper is seen looking frustrated with a microphone, then throwing it down off the side of the stage. Later in the performance, while Nas was onstage, videos show 50 getting annoyed again before hurling the new mic to the same offstage section.
While the viral video doesn’t show the microphone hitting anyone, Monegain appeared in photos shared on social media with a wound on her forehead that was allegedly caused by 50 Cent’s mic.
Reps for 50 Cent did not return a request for comment on Friday. In a statement at the time, his lawyer Scott Leemon told Billboard that “Curtis would never intentionally strike anyone with a microphone.”
Thursday’s lawsuit is purely a civil matter. At the time of the incident, Monegain reportedly filed a police report on the night of the concert alleging criminal battery. But court records show that no charges were ever filed, and TMZ later reported that both the L.A. District Attorney’s office and the L.A. City Attorney’s office had both declined to bring a criminal case against the rapper.
As in any negligence lawsuit, Monegain claims that 50 Cent and AEG had a duty to keep her and other attendees safe from any dangers that they either knew about or should have seen coming. Instead, she says they “failed to create an environment that was safe for attendees on the subject premises.” She claims that 50 Cent should have known “the dangerous nature of a performer throwing a microphone into a crowed area” but did so anyway.
The lawsuit does not say how much money Monegain is seeking, but asks for “past and future wage loss, hospital and medical expenses” and other unspecified “general damages” over the harm she allegedly suffered.
A spokesperson for AEG did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit’s allegations.