50 Cent ordered to pay $16M in headphones case

Federal court records show that rapper 50 Cent has been ordered to pay a Bradenton earphone manufacturer more than $16 million in connection with a failed partnership to produce the entertainer's line of headphones.

The Bradenton Heraldreports that 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson III, was ordered to pay Sleek Audio nearly $4.5 million in attorney fees and $11.7 million in damages.

The U.S. District Court in Miami affirmed the award in late March after a three-year legal battle.

Records allege that Jackson, a Sleek partner, stole the designs of over-the-ear headphones he asked the company to conceptualize and manufacture. Jackson has been selling headphones of a similar design under the 50-Over line with another manufacturer.

50 Cent could have some more money coming in later this year -- he's expected to release his new album, "Animal Ambition," in June.