Talking of litigation, Ashanti faces another lawsuit from one of her former colleagues, this time manager Linda Berk, who represented the R&B singer until 2003. Berk claims that she was responsible for establishing Ashanti as a "music and entertainment superstar" before her contract with the singer was abruptly axed three years ago.
The former manager claims that the way she was dropped breached her contract with the singer, and is reportedly suing for millions in the new lawsuit. Ashanti is yet to issue any response to the litigation, although a spokesman told Billboard that Berk has no case, alleging: "The contract expired naturally and we didn't renew it".
The new lawsuit follows that previously reported legal battle last year between the singer and her former producer, Genard Parker, who claimed he had a contract giving him a royalty share on early Ashanti material which had never been honoured. The courts awarded Parker $630,000, although Ashanti subsequently sued him back over allegations the producer had illegally released some of her early recordings as a new album.