'Unenforceable'
The "No Love" singer is asking a judge in Atlanta to void her contract with Love Renaissance
As Grammy-nominated R&B star Summer Walker fights to exit her recording contract with Interscope Records, she’s also pursuing fraud claims against Love Renaissance Records, the independent label and management company that signed her before entering a joint venture with Interscope.
In a recently filed 10-page lawsuit first obtained by Rolling Stone, Walker accuses Love Renaissance of locking her into an onerous contract, misappropriating money from her budgets, and denying her access to revenue generated by Amazon and YouTube pages featuring her name and likeness.
“The LVRN Agreement granted particularly oppressive and extensive rights to defendant, and controlling influence over Walker,” according to the new complaint, which was filed Aug. 28 but did not surface publicly until Tuesday. “Defendant has breached its fiduciary duties of good faith and fair dealing so severely as to cause a breach of the agreement by defendant.”
The complaint accuses Love Renaissance of improperly diverting money from Walker’s touring, recording, marketing, and merchandising budgets, while charging excessive company expenses to those accounts in bad faith.
Walker’s lawyer, Keith Moten, said Tuesday that the singer, who signed with Love Renaissance when she was 19, no longer trusts the label to protect her interests.
“Summer is in a new phase of her life,” Moten said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “She’s been through a lot in her life, personally and professionally. She’s a mother now, and she doesn’t trust blindly anymore. She’s ready to fight for herself, her freedom and her peace.”
Moten said Walker had trusted Love Renaissance to treat her fairly and act in her best interests as a young artist, but now believes the company betrayed that trust after she devoted some of her most productive years to the label.
“Summer has given LVRN iconic music, and some of the best years of her life,” Moten said. “In return, LVRN has breached Summer’s trust in them and has failed Summer in numerous ways.”
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He said the lawsuit seeks damages for those alleged breaches, but Walker’s primary objective is to end her contractual relationship with the company. “Most importantly, we also have very strong legal grounds for the court to order Summer’s release from her deal with LVRN as well,” said Moten.
Walker alleges Love Renaissance sold merchandise bearing her name and likeness on Amazon and other retail websites without paying her a share of the proceeds. She claims the company operated a YouTube page in her name without her knowledge, then deleted its historical data before transferring control to her, without paying her any revenue the page had generated.
The lawsuit alleges breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and fraudulent concealment. Walker is asking the court to declare her Sept. 15, 2017, agreement with Love Renaissance “void and unenforceable.” She is also seeking compensatory and punitive damages in amounts to be determined by the court.
Lawyers for Love Renaissance did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Rolling Stone on Tuesday.
Last week, Interscope and its parent company UMG sued Walker in Los Angeles County Superior Court, saying her notice that she plans to exit her recording contract under California’s so-called “seven-year rule” would entitle UMG to recover damages upwards of $50 million. Walker has disputed the claims.
Walker signed with Love Renaissance on Sept. 15, 2017, and with Interscope on Nov. 1, 2017. She went on to become a huge star, with industry experts telling Rolling Stone her contract terms appeared “brutal” in retrospect.
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In August, Walker informed Interscope that she would soon stop working under the agreement. “This letter shall serve as official notice that, effective Aug. 27, 2026, Ms. Walker will no longer render service under the agreement by reason of the fact that the agreement is no longer enforceable,” her letter to the label said, according to court filings.
In its lawsuit filed Friday, Oct. 9, Interscope claimed Walker’s “failure to deliver” all the recordings required under her contract would leave her liable for damages. The music giant said her original 2017 agreement and subsequent amendments obligated her to deliver five studio albums, with her earlier projects, Last Day of Summer and CLEAR, classified as “pre-album projects” that did not count toward that album total.
On Friday, Moten told Rolling Stone that he and his client were “disappointed that Interscope has chosen to pursue litigation.” He said they remained confident in her legal position and her right to challenge the continued enforceability of her recording contract with Interscope. “We intend to vigorously defend against Interscope’s claims and pursue appropriate legal relief,” he said.
Moten said that Walker plans to countersue the record label. “Summer remains open to a constructive resolution. She hopes that the matter can be resolved in a manner that respects the interests of all involved, and avoids unnecessary or prolonged litigation,” said Moten. “In the meantime, Summer remains focused on her music, her artistry, her children, and her fans.”
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UMG’s Los Angeles lawsuit is asking for damages of at least $50 million to be determined at trial. It’s also asking for prejudgment interest, legal costs, and any “further relief” the court finds appropriate.
“While we remain hopeful that our ongoing discussions will lead to an amicable resolution, the statutory deadline makes it necessary to file suit in order to preserve the terms of our contract,” an Interscope spokesperson said in a statement sent to Rolling Stone. “We have great respect for Summer and her music and would welcome the opportunity to continue our successful partnership.”