Rapper testifies in suit over home repairs

Rapper testifies in suit over home repairs

HARTFORD, Conn. — Rapper 50 Cent says he never would have bought a Connecticut mansion once owned by boxer Mike Tyson had he realized it would require millions in repairs and renovations.

The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, testified in a Hartford court Tuesday as part of his lawsuit against engineers BVH Integrated Services.

50 Cent says he hired the firm to inspect the Farmington mansion in 2003. He says he assumed the company’s estimate of $500,000 in repairs was “a legitimate assessment” of what the repairs would cost.

He says that he spent about $6 million fixing the house and that about $3 million of that was excessive.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Tony Curtis is 84. Game show host Chuck Barris (“The Gong Show”) is 80. Singer Eddie Holman is 63. Bassist Too Slim of Riders in the Sky is 61. Singer Suzi Quatro is 59. Singer Deniece Williams is 58. Singer Dan Hill is 55. Guitarist Kerry King of Slayer is 45. Newsman Anderson Cooper is 42. Singers Ariel and Gabriel Hernandez of No Mercy are 38. Actress Lalaine Dupree (“Lizzie McGuire”) is 22.