Remember when Taco Bell tried to pull off that dumb publicity stunt where it would have donated $10,000 to charity if 50 Cent changed his name to 79, 89, or 99 Cent for a day? Remember how pissy Curtis got about the whole thing, how he said that Taco Bell had ruined his reputation among bloggers and how he was going to sue the MexiMelts off the fast-food chain? He wasn’t kidding: He filed a suit against the Bell in July, saying that the company “stole his endorsement” when they sent out that admittedly goofy letter and got press for it. (He also said that Taco Bell “diluted the value of his good name,” although if he was going to sue everyone guilty of that, you’d think he’d be suing a) the radio programmers who haven’t given a crap about any of his singles lately; b) all those people who didn’t buy the last G-Unit album; and c) himself.) Now, Taco Bell has responded with a 13-page court filing that basically asks, “Why don’t you show some courtesy, Curtis?”

Jackson has used his colorful past to cultivate a public image of
belligerence and arrogance and has a well-publicized track record of making threats, starting
feuds and filing lawsuits. At the same time, Jackson holds himself out as a giver to charity and
one who wants to give back to his community. ….

Jackson could have responded to Taco Bell’s offer with a simple yes or no.
Had he accepted the offer, Jackson, Taco Bell and the public all would have gained. Jackson
would have had substantial publicity for a good deed, the public would have benefited from Taco
Bell’s charitable donation, and Taco Bell presumably would have generated positive recognition
for its charitable donation. If Jackson simply had rejected the offer, that would have been the
end of the matter.

But instead of responding to Taco Bell’s sincere offer in the friendly and
humorous spirit in which it was issued, Jackson launched an aggressive, offensive attack on Taco
Bell in the press. In a heavily publicized sound bite, Jackson threatened legal action against
Taco Bell stating, “When my legal team is finished with them, Taco Bell is going to have a new
corporate slogan: ‘We messed with the bull and got the horns.’” Jackson then brought this
lawsuit.

For his part, Curtis’ lawyer told TMZ “Taco Bell needs to be stopped… Mr. Cent intends to vigorously pursue this case.” Well, I guess now that, uh, “Mr. Cent” has some time on his hands, he can sully himself with worthless lawsuits. Wait–wouldn’t it be great if this dragged on for so long that he never put out music again?

Taco Bell’s Got Beef With 50: Nacho Average Suit [TMZ]