Akon’s former business partner Devyne Stephens has updated his lawsuit against the music star over the $4 million he claims the singer still owes him.
Stephens claims Akon still owes him $750,000 and at least $3 million in royalties, Page Six reports. On Tuesday, an amended complaint was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court citing a 2018 agreement where Akon agreed to pay his former partner $3.25 million over the course of four years.
But the music executive, who’s worked with the likes of Jay-Z, Destiny’s Child, Usher, Pink and TLC, says Akon still hasn’t paid the last installment of $750,000. The updated suit is the third time Stephens has had to take his financial dispute with the Senegalese pop star to the courts.
Stephens, who helped launch Akon’s
career, accuses the “Smack That” singer of ruining his relationship with Atlantic Records in order to get out of their settlement clause where he agreed to pay Stephens royalties for four future albums while under a “major” label.In court documents, Stephens claims Akon is trying to get out of paying the royalties because he is no longer with Atlantic and is signed to BMG Records. But Stephens argues that BMG is also a major record label and Akon should still have to pay up.
The exec claims Akon allegedly breached his contract with Atlantic intentionally and since BMG “by any objective metric, is a ‘major’ record label,” the singer/producer is still responsible for the past due funds.
“Akon has spent the better part of a decade frustrating Stephens’ attempts to obtain large amounts of money which Akon unambiguously promised in contracts to pay Stephens,” the court documents charge.
“Although Akon argues he is not currently signed to a ‘major’ record label, he is wrong,” the suit claims.
The updated suit comes a year after Akon told TMZ that the “famous and the rich go through more issues than the poor.”
““I’m having more problems successfully dealing with all that comes with success than I had when I was poor,” he said. “I was actually happier when I was poor.”