DMX was hit with a lawsuit stemming from his involvement
in the canine clothing company Boomer 129.
Amusing Divisions Inc., the company behind Boomer
129, recently filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court, saying they weren’t
aware of DMX’s 13-counts of animal cruelty charges, to which he pleaded guilty
in 2002.
DMX was ordered to make public service announcements
for the Humane Society of the United States and was obligated to pay production
costs, which were estimated at $20,000 when he was sentenced.
Amusing Divisions claims that DMX instead made
radio spots promoting the clothing line "for dog awareness as part of a
community-service obligation judicially imposed upon him for having been involved
in animal cruelty."
DMX was paid $15,000 up front to be Boomer 129’s
spokesman, which included leather jackets, sports jerseys and other clothing
for dogs.
According to a lawyer for Amusing, the company
had trouble marketing the dog clothing to certain pet stores, due to the animal
cruelty charges.
Amusing is seeking the $15,000 advance as well
as $75,000 which went into the production of the clothing line.
DMX’s animal troubles started in June of 1999,
when police went to his Teaneck, New Jersey home after finding his wife’s purse
near the scene where his business manager/uncle was shot.
When police raided the house, they found a loaded
9mm handgun, hollow-nosed bullets, six used glass cocaine smoking pipes and
13 pit bulls.
Under his plea agreement, DMX forfeited all weapons
and animals and was ordered to pay $15,000 to the Bergen County chapter of the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The judge granted the Humane Society the rights
to use his image on printed materials.
