MANHATTAN (CN) - Claiming that rapper Rick Ross was the one who spliced a video of him into a random sex tape, and then uploaded that video to the Internet, 50 Cent wants a judge to hold his rival liable.
It has been five years since Lastonia Leviston brought a lawsuit against Fitty, claiming that he mixed a video of himself wearing a wig into the "private" sex tape she made with her boyfriend, then posted the altered video on his website.
Leviston, who filed the action in Manhattan Supreme Court, said 50 Cent admitted to the deed in an interview in which he repeatedly called her a "call girl."
In that same interview, according to Leviston's complaint, 50 Cent described the woman in the video as the mother of a child with rival rapper Rick Ross.
Painting a different version of events in a May 21 lawsuit against Ross, 50 Cent is apparently trying to cover his bases if there is a verdict against him in the Leviston case.
The D.C. radio show Live in the Den recorded a March 12, 2009, interview in which Ross said he would post the video of 50 Cent in a sex tape, according to 50 Cent's complaint in the same court.
One day later, the video appeared on ThisIsSabrinasSin.ning.com - a website that belongs to Ross, the complaint continues.
Claiming that he "does not own or control the website ThisIsSabrinasSin.ning.com in any way," 50 Cent said it was "Ross or someone under Ross' control was the first person to publish the video online."
"Jackson did not publish the video online, but instead put an embedded link on boobootv.com to the Video that was posted on ThisIsSabrinasSin.ning.com," the complaint continues.
In Leviston's lawsuit, she said "50 Cent ... posted the video on his website and provided a link on his website to another website where the video could be viewed in its entirety."
Leviston said millions of people saw the video, which said included 50 Cent narrating while "dressed in a wig and robe."
"50 Cent can be heard continuously speaking during the video and can be seen periodically," Leviston's complaint continues.
In his complaint, which he filed under his real name Curtis Jackson III, 50 Cent says Ross admitted to owning ThisIsSabrinasSin.ning.com in a video he uploaded to Youtube on March 8, 2009.
"Jackson has denied liability to Leviston, but asserts that if held liable to Leviston, Jackson is entitled to contribution for Ross' actions contributing to the loss alleged in the original complaint," the complaint states.
Fitty adds: "If Leviston should recover against Jackson for the allegations stated in her complaint, said damages will have been caused and brought about by reason of the wrongful actions of Ross."
In the 2010 complaint, Leviston described herself as a resident of Miami, Fla. She claimed that she shot the sex tape with her boyfriend, Maurice Murray, in New Jersey on June 30, 2008.
Leviston had claimed that Murray "assured her that he had taped over the explicit" footage but sold the tape to 50 Cent in March 2009.
She said Fitty admitted in an interview that he paid a "few dollars" for the video and that he posted it online.
Leviston said 50 Cent blurred Murray's face, but left her face clearly visible.
In his lawsuit, 50 Cent described himself as a Connecticut resident who transacts certain business in Manhattan.
He said Ross, real name William Roberts II, lives in Florida but that his business, Maybach Music Group, runs out of an office on Park Avenue.
Fitty is represented by William Brewer III with Bickel Brewer.
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