Source: WENN

Six weeks following the death of musical icon Whitney Houston, the National Enquirer published a story, claiming that Bobby Brown was not only cheating on his then-fiancée, Alicia Etheredge with Houston, but that he also had plans of marrying her in the weeks preceding her untimely death. According to the Daily News, the source who “leaked” the story to the tabloid was Derrick Handspike, a music industry vet. Now, Brown is suing the paper for the accusations, which he claims are false.

Court documents filed by Brown yesterday at the Manhattan Federal Court reveal that the 44-year-old singer is suing the National Enquirer for $1million. Bobby is also filing a suit against the said source, Derrick Handspike. The story in question ran on March 26, 2012.

Ironically, Brown and Handspike have worked together in the past, as he is the co-author of Brown’s 2008 tell-all book, Bobby Brown: The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But, a book that Whitney seemed really hurt by. 

“Miss Houston is sad that Bobby feels he needs to say such things but she chooses to take the high road and will not speak badly about the father of her child even if it’s to set the record straight,” a representative for Houston told People.com of the book, months after its publication.

So far there has been no word regarding the suit from Handspike or the Enquirer. We’ll continue to keep you posted.

Instead of taking it to the streets, these celebrities are taking it to the courtroom — or being taken there. You’d be surprised at what you can learn about a celebrity from the bills they don’t pay, the people they wrong and the dirt they get up to. Allegedly, of course. That’s why we have public records to see whose done people so wrong they’re getting sued for it. Check this list of offenders.

Photo Credit: PNP/ WENN.com

RZA

RZA is being sued by Thea Van Seijen: the chick who sang hooks on a lot of his songs. She says that she’s never gotten any royalties but was afraid to demand them and ruin her career. RZA says he found the woman on the street, gave her food, a place to stay and 15 minutes so they’re even. See you in court I guess.

Source: askmen.com

How much did Patti LaBelle’s display of diva-tude cost her? One hundred thousand dollars.

Two years ago, in the lobby of the Trump Place apartment she was renting for her three-month, $50,000-a-week appearance in the Broadway musical “Fela!”, the singer broke into a profane tirade against a pregnant mom and her little girl.

According to the New York Post:

The Grammy-winning singer allegedly shouted the F-word, called the mom Roseanna Monk a “c–t,” and drenched her with bottled water after complaining that Monk’s then-18-month-old daughter was playing near the lobby door of an Upper West Side apartment building where LaBelle was staying in 2010.

When Roseanna — by then cradling her tot, Genevieve, in her arms — accused the “Lady Marmalade” singer of making the girl hysterical, an enraged LaBelle then allegedly had to be held back by her entourage and hustled into a waiting car.

Court papers said the child, now 3 1/2, has suffered “personality changes, sleep disorder” and “increased fear of strangers.”

That seems like a wild claim considering the child is three, but Patti’s lawyers knew the jury would never side with the singer. So, they settled the case before it was deposed.

After the suit wound up in Manhattan federal court last year, LaBelle denied that she was “liable in any way for any alleged claims of injury” and said the Monks were “more than 50 percent at fault.”

The family is probably not hurting for money though considering they were staying in the same building as Patti LaBelle. Still, I assumed they’d put the money in a college fund for their daughter and use compound interest to send her to school in 15 years on the singer’s dime. It turns out they’re donating the money to the Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund.

Ironically, Patti’s temper may help save another child’s life.

What do you think about this story? Does 100-thousand dollars seem like too much or too little?

Follow Alissa on Twitter @AlissaInPink

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hotnewhiphop.com

Well look at what we have here: Jay-Z is being sued…again.

This time, Dwayne Walker, a clothing designer in New York City, is suing Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke (who just started serving a 5 year prison sentence for drug trafficking charges) for $7 million in unpaid royalties, according to the lawsuit filed on Thursday. Walker says back in 1995, he saw the idea Dash was trying to come up with for the Roc-a-fella logo and told him he could do something better.  He claims he created the finished design which features the letter “R,” a record and a champagne bottle and should be paid handsomely for the logo which was featured on everything associated with Roc-a-fella Records.

Soooo you waited 17 years to file this lawsuit, Mr. Walker?  I could understand if he’d waited until like the early 2000s to file the suit; you know, wait until the label has money rolling in and cash out.  But no, not only did he not ever ask for payment upfront (I mean, you have to be pretty naive to believe they’re going to pay you something “eventually,” if that’s what happened), but he then waited until Roc-a-fella was basically defunct to try and get a check. Did he forget that he created and realized it was his whilst looking through old Roc-a-fella cds? Cds that he’s probably owned since 1995?

On the other hand, Damon Dash has always been known as a hustler and so I must say, hearing something like this doesn’t surprise me.  If Mr. Walker did, in fact, create the logo, he should have given the guy some money upfront so that this wouldn’t ever come up again (especially if there was some paperwork on it but I know that may be too much to ask for that time period of these dudes who were just tying to “make it”).  He could have hooked the young designer up with unlimited concert tickets or something if that would have made him happy.

I suppose we’ll see how this plays out and if there’s any truth to it, Mr. Walker might get a settlement. Either way, I hope that since he is labeled as a clothing designer, he’s smartened up about the business and is making good decisions. By the way, Universal Music Group now owns Roc-a-fella Records.

What do you think? If true, should the former owners be made to pay millions of dollars? Would you ever wait that long to file a lawsuit regarding something this big?

Good thing he has the money (we think). Prince has been ordered to cough up $3.95 million to Revelations Perfume and Cosmetics Inc. for hobbling its efforts to market a perfume after it had already liscened Prince’s name and and likeness and the album title “3121″ in 2006. The perfume launched in 2007 but Prince did not cooperate with the agreed-upon business deal and broke promises to help with promotions, said the company. Obviously, Prince’s litigation team are appealing the verdict.

(Rolling Out) — In June of last year, Beyoncé allegedly entered into a contract agreement with Gate Five, LLC to create a game, “Beyoncé: Starpower,” but abruptly pulled out of the deal, according to a soon-to-be-filed lawsuit.  The suit claims that at a “crucial moment in the project’s development,” Beyoncé “made an extortion demand for entirely new compensation terms she suddenly decided she wanted” and then pulled out of the game.

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