R&B singer NeYo has filed a lawsuit claiming he was booted off R. Kelly's tour because fans and critics alike preferred Ne-Yo's act to the headliner.
Instead of suing Kelly, however, Ne-Yo (real name: Shaffer Chimere Smith) and his reps at Compound Touring Inc. are targeting the tour promoter, Georgia-based Rowe Entertainment. In their complaint, filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the "So Sick" singer and his handlers accuse Rowe of breaching Ne-Yo's touring contract and violating his right of publicity by firing the 25-year-old from Kelly's Double Up tour just before Thanksgiving.
In the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the singer claims that on November 12, 2007, "without warning and without and valid basis to do so," he was removed from the tour.
Ne-Yo is seeking a six-figure settlement, claiming he would have earned $785,000 for opening for Kelly at a minimum of 25 concerts, but was fired after only his second performance.
R. Kelly had gone through a similar situation in 2004 when he and Jay-Z were on the road for their joint Best of Both Worlds tour. Jay-Z reportedly booted the singer from the tour and continued on, which resulted in a legal battle between the two artists.
Source: TheCelebrityCafe.com
Instead of suing Kelly, however, Ne-Yo (real name: Shaffer Chimere Smith) and his reps at Compound Touring Inc. are targeting the tour promoter, Georgia-based Rowe Entertainment. In their complaint, filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the "So Sick" singer and his handlers accuse Rowe of breaching Ne-Yo's touring contract and violating his right of publicity by firing the 25-year-old from Kelly's Double Up tour just before Thanksgiving.
In the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the singer claims that on November 12, 2007, "without warning and without and valid basis to do so," he was removed from the tour.
Ne-Yo is seeking a six-figure settlement, claiming he would have earned $785,000 for opening for Kelly at a minimum of 25 concerts, but was fired after only his second performance.
R. Kelly had gone through a similar situation in 2004 when he and Jay-Z were on the road for their joint Best of Both Worlds tour. Jay-Z reportedly booted the singer from the tour and continued on, which resulted in a legal battle between the two artists.
Source: TheCelebrityCafe.com
