Kanye West News

Kanye West took care of 50 Cent last year. Now he's got a whole new beef on his hands, and the outcome could cost him dearly.

Former Death Row Records overlord Marion "Suge" Knight is linking West to a shooting incident that left Knight with a bullet in his leg and some pricey bling gone AWOL.

According to a lawsuit filed Oct. 30 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles, the cash-strapped Knight claims the Graduation star failed to provide adequate security at a preparty for the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. Because of the supposedly lax security at the Shore Club on Aug. 27, 2005, Knight claims an unidentified man was able to sneak in and shoot Knight as he held court in the VIP room. (View the lawsuit.)

During the ensuing melee, Knight claims a 15-carat diamond stud, worth an estimated $135,000, fell off his earlobe and was retrieved by a man who said he worked at the club. The man purportedly promised he'd make sure the trinket was returned—but Knight never got the guy's name or the bauble back.

Meanwhile, Knight was hospitalized with a shattered leg bone, racking up a serious medical tab and necessitating a long, painful physical rehabilitation. Long story short, the incident supposedly kept Knight from making money and contributed to his descent into bankruptcy.

There was no immediate comment from West's camp. Other defendants include the club's owners and management.

Knight's attorney, Daniel McCarthy, says the gangsta-rap impresario had to wait to file the lawsuit until now because he had hoped the club employee would have kept his pledge to return the earring. Knight filed Chapter 11 in 2006 and a trustee needed to be appointed to give the go-ahead for him to pursue the legal action.

Knight's asking a court to order West to either return the lost earring or pay the equivalent value plus interest.

"The earring is the smaller part of the lawsuit," McCarthy tells E! News. "The bigger part is actually the shooting, and he's suing because Kanye failed to provide a reasonably safe environment. They patted down some people and not others and a gun got into the party."

··· THEY SAID WHAT? Get today's most commented stories now at www.eonline.com