Post by david g. on Mar 23, 2006 9:10:44 GMT -5
Aaron Carter Coming of Age in Court
At 17, it was "Aaron's Party." At 18, it's Aaron's lawsuit.
A Florida record company is suing Aaron Carter for allegedly reneging on a recording deal on the grounds that he was underage when he signed the contract.
According to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Carter entered into a contract with Trans Continental Records on Dec. 7, 2004, the singer's 17th birthday. A year later, when the kid-friendly crooner turned 18, Carter's attorney sent a letter to the company stating that his client had every right to "cancel or void various agreements" that were signed when he was a minor.
Trans Continental's suit states that a judge was present to approve the 2004 signing expressly to prevent this type of disagreement over the contract's legality. The record company, saying it has invested time and money aplenty on Carter's career, wants the court to find "the recording agreement to be valid and binding."
Carter's father was representing him when he inked the Trans Continental deal, according to court documents. The Carter camp has yet to make a statement regarding the lawsuit.
In 2002 the singer's parents (who have since divorced) sued Carter's former manager Lou Pearlman, founder of Trans Continental, for failure to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties from their son's 1998 self-titled debut album. Pearlman, the man who brought us the Backstreet Boys, was held in contempt of court in 2003 for failing to produce documents related to the case, but Pearlman eventually went on to be named executive producer of Carter's 2005 single "Saturday Night."
Carter's recording career has frequently been overshadowed by his off-stage woes. In December 2003, 16-year-old Aaron publicly fired his manager-mother, Jane, and filed for legal emancipation, alleging she stole more than $100,000 from him. The two made up a month later, but Carter moved in with his father after his parent's split.
As the younger Carter brother (big brother is Backstreeter Nick Carter) came of age, he became more known for his romantic status than for his teenybopper tunes. Specifically, Carter reportedly made up the third side of a love triangle with Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff, which supposedly caused a much-publicized feud between the teen queens.
Following in the footsteps of singers such as Duff who are releasing "greatest hits" albums before the age of 20, Come Get It: The Very Best of Aaron Carter hit stores in January.
At 17, it was "Aaron's Party." At 18, it's Aaron's lawsuit.
A Florida record company is suing Aaron Carter for allegedly reneging on a recording deal on the grounds that he was underage when he signed the contract.
According to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Carter entered into a contract with Trans Continental Records on Dec. 7, 2004, the singer's 17th birthday. A year later, when the kid-friendly crooner turned 18, Carter's attorney sent a letter to the company stating that his client had every right to "cancel or void various agreements" that were signed when he was a minor.
Trans Continental's suit states that a judge was present to approve the 2004 signing expressly to prevent this type of disagreement over the contract's legality. The record company, saying it has invested time and money aplenty on Carter's career, wants the court to find "the recording agreement to be valid and binding."
Carter's father was representing him when he inked the Trans Continental deal, according to court documents. The Carter camp has yet to make a statement regarding the lawsuit.
In 2002 the singer's parents (who have since divorced) sued Carter's former manager Lou Pearlman, founder of Trans Continental, for failure to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties from their son's 1998 self-titled debut album. Pearlman, the man who brought us the Backstreet Boys, was held in contempt of court in 2003 for failing to produce documents related to the case, but Pearlman eventually went on to be named executive producer of Carter's 2005 single "Saturday Night."
Carter's recording career has frequently been overshadowed by his off-stage woes. In December 2003, 16-year-old Aaron publicly fired his manager-mother, Jane, and filed for legal emancipation, alleging she stole more than $100,000 from him. The two made up a month later, but Carter moved in with his father after his parent's split.
As the younger Carter brother (big brother is Backstreeter Nick Carter) came of age, he became more known for his romantic status than for his teenybopper tunes. Specifically, Carter reportedly made up the third side of a love triangle with Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff, which supposedly caused a much-publicized feud between the teen queens.
Following in the footsteps of singers such as Duff who are releasing "greatest hits" albums before the age of 20, Come Get It: The Very Best of Aaron Carter hit stores in January.