Title: Judge Holds Lou Pearlman in "Contempt of Court" in Aaron Carter Lawsuit
Date: Thursday, March 13, 2003
Source: Business Wire
Source: Press Release: Bill Yanger Law
Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030313/135637_1.html
Location: TAMPA, Fla.
Topic: News
Courtroom Judge William Leven today found Lou Pearlman and TransContinental Records in contempt of court for ignoring the judge's previous court order to produce documents relating to royalty payments.
Judge Leven further fined them $2,500.00 in the Hillsborough County Case #02-5780 "Aaron Carter by his parents and guardians-in-fact Robert Carter and Jane E. Carter versus TransContinental Records Inc. and Louis J. Pearlman."
Said Bill Yanger, attorney for parents Jane and Bob Carter, "Lou Pearlman may think he can ignore Aaron Carter; he may think he can ignore me, but Pearlman learned today that he'd better not ignore a Circuit Court Judge in Hillsborough County."
Adding, "I think the ruling today made it very clear that Pearlman has two strikes against him in this litigation and there better not be a third."
The Carters have repeatedly tried, but to no avail, to obtain a full accounting on behalf of their 15-year-old son Aaron Carter for the records Pearlman's label has sold and continues to sell for the teen pop star.
Says Jane Carter, "Unfortunately, TransContinental has failed to provide any royalty payments or accounting, ever, to Aaron," adding, "TransContinental's only response is to continue to stonewall in this matter, an all too familiar pattern for Louis Pearlman and his label."
In June of 2002, the Carters filed their original lawsuit on behalf of their son, through their Tampa-based attorney Bill Yanger, in Hillsborough County. They have made demands for accounting statements and royalties due the young Carter.
In 1997, Louis Pearlman signed then 10-year-old Aaron Carter, younger brother to Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, to a recording agreement with his TransContinental Records label. Through TransContinental Records, Carter recorded and released albums, including compilations, sold both in the U.S. and abroad. According to the suit, despite having reached platinum sales status and selling more than one million copies of his recordings to date, Carter has not received any royalties from the sale of his TransContinental albums.
Aaron has sold ten million records worldwide to date; three of those recordings, including his most recent, ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE, have been on JIVE Records, where full accounting has been received.
Contact:
Bill Yanger Law
Bill Yanger, 813/228-0991
813/601-9500 (cell)
bill.yanger@yangerlaw.com
or
Lobeline Communications
Phil Lobel, 310/271-1551, ext. 13
310/995-7552 (cell)