Summer Walker Sued LVRN for Fraud Six Weeks Before Interscope Sued Her

Summer Walker was already being sued by Interscope. It turns out she had gone after the other half of her record deal first.

A 10-page complaint first obtained by Rolling Stone shows the R&B singer sued Love Renaissance Records, the label and management company known as LVRN, in Atlanta on Aug. 28, six weeks before Interscope filed its own claim against her. It didn’t surface until Tuesday (Oct. 13). Walker accuses LVRN of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract, and asks a court to declare her Sept. 15, 2017, agreement “void and unenforceable.” She is also seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

The LVRN Agreement granted particularly oppressive and extensive rights to defendant, and controlling influence over Walker.

Walker’s complaint against LVRN, Rolling Stone

The money claims are specific. Walker says LVRN diverted money from her touring, recording, marketing and merchandising budgets while charging excessive company expenses to those accounts in bad faith. She also says it sold merchandise with her name and likeness on Amazon and other sites without paying her, and ran a YouTube page in her name without her knowledge, then deleted its historical data before handing her control and never paid her what the page had earned.

Read moreLatin Music Week Day One: Quevedo, Grupo Frontera, Kany García and Tommy Mottola on Where the Sound Is Going

It is really one fight on two fronts. Walker signed with LVRN on Sept. 15, 2017, and with Interscope on Nov. 1 of that year, per Rolling Stone, and Pitchfork notes the two companies were operating as a joint venture. Her attorney, Keith Moten, told the magazine her main goal is to end her relationship with LVRN. Interscope’s suit, filed Oct. 9, says her notice to leave under California’s seven-year rule leaves two albums and an EP undelivered, and asks for at least $50 million. The same California law sits at the heart of Fuerza Regida’s fight with Rancho Humilde.

She’s been through a lot in her life, personally and professionally. She’s a mother now, and she doesn’t trust blindly anymore. She’s ready to fight for herself, her freedom and her peace.

Keith Moten, Walker’s attorney, Rolling Stone

Moten said Walker signed with LVRN when she was 19 and no longer trusts it to protect her interests. “Summer has given LVRN iconic music, and some of the best years of her life,” he said. “In return, LVRN has breached Summer’s trust in them and has failed Summer in numerous ways.” Lawyers for Love Renaissance did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone, and Pitchfork said it had emailed the company for comment.

Next comes a countersuit. Moten said Walker plans to file one against Interscope, though both sides have left the door open. “Summer remains open to a constructive resolution,” he said. Interscope has said it “would welcome the opportunity to continue our successful partnership.” None of the claims has been tested in court.