April 1, 2011
Britney Spears Sued for $10M Over Fragrance Deal
Robert Doyle READ TIME: 2 MIN.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A brand marketing company that brokered a deal for Britney Spears' fragrance line sued the singer and her father Wednesday, claiming the pair secured a new deal that stinks to the tune of more than $10 million.
Brand Sense Partners LLC's lawsuit claims the pair renegotiated a royalties deal with cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden last year that cut them out of their 35 percent commission on the fragrance line.
According to the lawsuit, the company first began working with the singer in 2003 and brokered the perfume deal in 2004.
The lawsuit claims Spears and her father, Jamie, negotiated a new deal last year for the singer's newest perfume scent called Radiance. The lawsuit states the agreement directly between the singer and cosmetics company directly violates the original deal with Brand Sense.
The marketing company is seeking more than $10 million and punitive damages and is asking a judge to rule that it is entitled to a 35 percent commission on all lines of Spears' perfumes created by Elizabeth Arden.
Spears' publicist, Jeff Raymond, did not immediately return an email message seeking comment.
The lawsuit was first reported by celebrity website RadarOnline.com.
Jamie Spears controls his daughter's financial affairs along with an attorney as part of a court-ordered conservatorship established in 2008 after a series of high-profile incidents of erratic behavior and hospitalizations.
The conservatorship has generally granted Spears a form of legal immunity. Although she's been sued by former bodyguards and an ex-manager, a judge has so-far ruled that she cannot be deposed or ordered to testify.
It has been a rocky week for Spears, who debuted her seventh studio album, "Femme Fatale," on Tuesday. She also announced a tour with Latin singer Enrique Iglesias, who said later on that he would be performing with the "Hold It Against Me" singer.
Long-term New Yorkers, Mark and Robert have also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center, Mark is a PhD in American history and literature, as well as the author of the novels Wolfchild and My Hawaiian Penthouse. Robert is the producer of the documentary We Are All Children of God. Their work has appeared in numerous publications, as well as at : www.mrny.com.
