A New York City judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit against rap star Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson for posting a sex tape on his website featuring the former girlfriend of rival rapper Rick Ross.

Judge Paul Wooten stated that there was compelling evidence that the hip hop star caused Lastonia Leviston, the mother of Ross' child, severe distress after the X-rated video was posted on his website. The footage received 4 million views in total, and Leviston, who never gave consent for the clip to be distributed, argues that the incident caused her to become suicidal, Gossip Cop reports.

According to the judge, the Florida woman's diary "reveals that Leviston entertained suicide as a result of the release of the video tape, and that she was unable to function normally in her daily life," he wrote in his decision released Thursday, reports the New York Post.

In the tape, which 50 Cent claims to have purchased from Leviston's former boyfriend Maurice Murray, Leviston can be clearly seen although Murray's face is blurred out. The rapper's alter ego "Pimpin' Curly" was also edited into the video.

The Queens native argued that Leviston was bluffing that the publicity caused her to consider suicide and gave her depression and anxiety, pointing out that she was able to get a GED and work two jobs after the 2009 posting.

The Grammy-award winning rapper said his "sole motive [for releasing the video] was to respond to Ross's 'disrespecting' him," according to court papers.

A jury will decide whether Leviston's 2010 lawsuit seeking unspecified damages due to mental suffering is legitimate.