Rapper 50 Cent has been slapped with legal action from a disgruntled video star amid allegations he defamed her via social media.

Model Sally Ferreira, who appeared in 50's Big Rich Town promo, claims the In Da Club hitmaker, real name Curtis Jackson, cost her work in the music video industry after falsely accusing her of leaking behind-the-scenes photos of the pair in a bid to spread rumours suggesting they were dating last month (Mar14).

He then publicly insulted her in posts on his Instagram and Twitter.com blogs.

One offending post featured a snap of the two together, alongside the caption, "Warning: Do not attempt to work with this thirsty (money-grabbing) video b**ch."

Ferreira, who is engaged to her boyfriend of nine years, insists the baseless allegations ruined her blossoming career, and has turned her into an object of public ridicule.

She filed suit in New York's Manhattan Federal Court on Thursday (24Apr14) and is demanding a multi-million dollar payout, citing extreme emotional distress.

In the papers, her lawyer states, "Mr. Jackson knew his posting would be widely circulated and published to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of individuals and entities."

50 Cent, whose Twitter blog has 7.4 million followers, deleted the posts in question hours after uploading them - an action Ferreira's lawyer claims was "in recognition of his wrongdoing".

The rap superstar has yet to respond to the lawsuit.