Jay Z’s record label chiefs have launched a multi-million dollar court case against the rap mogul’s former protege Rita Ora.
Roc Nation bosses are suing the Radioactive singer for breaking her recording contract and failing to deliver the albums she was contracted to produce, Page Six reports.
The record label’s $2.4 million (£1.6 million) lawsuit comes just six weeks after the 25-year-old filed her own papers in California, claiming company bosses had lost their focus on her, putting the welfare and future of professional athletes and other ventures, like Jay Z’s streaming service Tidal, ahead of her music career.
Lawyers representing Roc Nation submitted papers in New York, claiming the company spent more than $2 million (£1.3 million) on marketing and development for the star’s second album, which is still unreleased.
Since signing with the label in 2008, Rita has only released one record, 2012’s Ora, and the bosses claim the star was supposed to release five albums under her contract.
Following the submission of the Roc Nation countersuit, Rita’s attorney Howard King said: “Jay Z has personally and graciously promised Rita complete freedom from Roc Nation, the details of which are now being finalised.
“We believe that Roc Nation’s distributor, Sony Music, has required Roc Nation to file this action to preserve whatever rights Sony might have pending resolution.”
In her attempt to break away from Roc Nation last year, Rita Ora requested a declaratory judgement, claiming the contract she signed in 2008 at the age of 18 is unenforceable and violates California law.
In her lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on 17 December (15), her lawyer wrote: “When Rita signed, Roc Nation and its senior executives were very involved with her as an artist. As Roc Nation’s interests diversified, there were fewer resources available and the company suffered a revolving door of executives. Rita’s remaining supporters at the label left or moved on to other activities, to the point where she no longer had a relationship with anyone at the company.”
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