Christina Aguilera Sues Ex-Manager
Oct. 17 -- What a girl wants, apparently, is better representation.
Christina Aguilera filed suit against her former business manager, Steven Kurtz, on Friday, claiming that her legal representation by Kurtz and his company, Marquee Management, “was a sham,” concocted to induce the 19-year old singer into making him her exclusive personal manager.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges fraud and breach of fiduciary duty and seeks to nullify Aguilera’s 1999 management contract. Aguilera is asking general and punitive damages, all monies received by the defendants under the contact, and the costs of the suit.
Allegedly Overpayed EmployeeAccording to the suit, Kurtz used his excessive influence to coerce Aguilera into inking a deal that granted him the right to collect a maximum of 20 percent of any “commissionable income” earned by the teen sensation. It also gave Kurtz permission to hire “other management professionals,” at no additional charge to Aguilera.
The singer alleges that Kurtz hired his father, Normand, and another associate, Katrina Sirdofsky, then paid them money “in addition to and above and beyond the 20 percent commission.” Sirdofsky — who, along with Kurtz, is being sued for breach of fiduciary duty — purportedly earned $4,000 per week from Kurtz for her services, according to Aguilera’s suit.
The suit further claims that Kurtz, who has managed Aguilera since she was 17, repeatedly misrepresented her and placed his interests over her own.
Aguilera, whose current single, “Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You),” is the No. 1 hit in the country, has reportedly since signed on with superstar manager Irving Azoff.
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