Grammy award winner H.E.R. has filed a lawsuit against her record label MBK Entertainment for violating California’s business and professions code with her contract.
According to Rolling Stone, H.E.R., whose real name is Gabriella Wilson, didn’t have proper independent legal representation following her signing with MBK in 2011 at age 14.
According to the lawsuit, the contract breached the California labor code’s seven-year statute, and the deal should be voidable and ceased as of May 18, 2019.
“Wilson’s seven years have run. MBK’s attempts to thwart this important and fundamental California public policy should not be condoned,” the suit said.
Gabriella Wilson has claimed that the record label of her manager Jeff Robinson became her manager soon after she signed with MBK Entertainment.
In her suit, Wilson also alleges that Robinson fired her old law firm before bringing in his lawyers to negotiate subsequent deals, such as her publishing deal. H.E.R. also alleged that the lawyers took 5 percent from negotiated deals, which she never agreed to.
Even though H.E.R.’s contract included five more album options, she “recorded numerous albums, EPs, and singles, according to the Agreement. The majority of those were recorded in California.”
“The contract has significantly limited Wilson’s employment rights,” the suit reads.
“Since May 19, 2011, MBK has exclusively owned her services as a recording artist and has exclusively owned the right to exploit her name and likeness for her recordings under the Agreement. Wilson has not been free to provide her recording services except as permitted or dictated by MBK,” the suit reads.
