Mariah, Rihanna file lawsuits
LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK — Singers Mariah Carey and Rihanna sang the blues as they filed lawsuits this week against a former assistant and father, respectively. Meanwhile, Beyonce has dropped a copyright infringement lawsuit.
Rihanna has sued her father for trading on her Fenty brand name and suggesting that a business venture he set up in 2017 is associated with her.
The “Diamonds” singer, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, filed a lawsuit in US federal court in Los Angeles on Tuesday accusing Ronald Fenty and two business partners of fraud and false advertising over his Fenty Entertainment talent and production company.
The Barbados-born Rihanna, who uses the Fenty trademark to sell cosmetics, lingerie and sneakers, asked the court for an injunction to stop her father using the Fenty name, and an unspecified amount of damages.
The lawsuit said Rihanna had “absolutely no affiliation” with Fenty Entertainment and yet the company was misappropriating her name and misrepresenting itself as being affiliated with her.
In one instance, Fenty Entertainment accepted a 2017 offer by a third party for Rihanna to perform 15 shows in Latin America for $15 million, the lawsuit said. In another, Fenty Entertainment falsely implied that the singer was involved in a boutique hotels project, it added.
The lawsuit said that despite having repeatedly been told they have no authority to use her name, the Fenty trademark or speak on Rihanna’s behalf, Ronald Fenty and his business partners had continued to misrepresent an affiliation with her.
Fenty Entertainment could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
MARIAH WANTS $3-MILLION
Singer Mariah Carey on Wednesday sued her former assistant for breaking a nondisclosure agreement, negligence and theft, according to court documents.
Ms. Carey, one of the world’s best-selling singers with 200 million records sold and hits including “We Belong Together,” is seeking at least $3 million in damages from Lianna Azarian and a restraining order to keep her former assistant from further breaking the nondisclosure agreement, according to papers filed in New York State Supreme Court.
Ms. Azarian worked for Ms. Carey from March 2015 through November 2017 as an executive assistant, court documents showed.
Lawyers for Ms. Carey did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ms. Azarian did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Entertainment Web site TMZ.com reported on Wednesday that Ms. Azarian had secretly recorded Carey and threatened to release “embarrassing ” videos unless the pop star paid up to $8 million. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm those details.
BEYONCE DROPS LAWSUIT
A lawsuit brought by Beyonce over the sale of “Feyonce” items to engaged couples has been dismissed at the singer’s request, court documents showed on Wednesday.
The pop superstar had complained in a 2016 lawsuit that the shirts, hoodies and other items sold to engaged couples by a Texas company under the name Feyonce infringed on her trademark rights and would confuse customers.
One of the Feyonce items was a mug with the phrase “he put a ring on it,” which Beyonce said was intended to recall the lyrics of her 2008 global hit song “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).”
A federal judge in New York in October rejected the singer’s request for a permanent injunction to stop the sale of the Feyonce items and ordered both sides to discuss trial dates and a possible settlement.
Beyonce in December asked the court to dismiss the case. It was not clear from Wednesday’s court filing granting the dismissal whether the two sides had reached a settlement. Attorneys did not return a request for comment.