Yoko Ono has filed a $13 million lawsuit against EMI and its US division Capitol in a dispute over John Lennon royalties.
In the three page lawsuit, made public yesterday, Ono claims EMI and Capitol have deprived the Lennon estate of millions by under-reporting royalties, and that they provided dishonest accounting statements. The lawsuit alleges that EMI "breached... agreements and have abused the nearly half century old relationship of trust and confidence by willfully and knowingly under-reporting royalties".
Speaking for EMI/Capitol yesterday, Adam Grossberg said he could not discuss the specifics of Ono's lawsuit, but did tell reporters: "Artists do request from time to time audits of their record label accounts. It is not unusual and we have no problem with it ... sometimes there are differences of opinion. Contracts are very complex and in rare situations it is up to the courts or mediation to resolve. But 99 times out of 100 these audits are resolved in an amicable settlement".