More than a year after she was first sued for stalking and defamation by her ex-manager, Azealia Banks has responded with a cross-complaint accusing the Prospect Park label boss of posing as a “romantic suitor” to “steal” from her.
via: AceShowbiz
In new paperwork obtained by Rolling Stone on Thursday, December 9, the hip-hop star claimed, “[Kwatinetz] attempted to control and manipulate Banks so he could eventually steal from her, by charming the 23-year-old from Harlem and attempting to convince her that he loved her.” The legal documents continued to read, “He would repeatedly tell her in e-mails that he loved her, had sleepovers with her and sent her gifts.”
“Under the circumstances, the amount of alleged costs and expenses is outrageous,” Banks’ cross-complaint further stated. The 30-year-old raptress also alleged that the company “refused” to provide her with “backup for basically any of the expenses.”
Banks also alleged that Kwatinetz engaged in “blurring the lines between a fiduciary and a romantic suitor so that he could take financial advantage” of her. To support her claim, the “212” artist revealed that Kwatinetz once sent her an email detailing the end of his working relationship with singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson.
“She fired me [because] unbeknownst to me she was in love with me,” Kwatinetz supposedly wrote in the alleged email cited in the cross-complaint. “When I told her to start working out because she had a lot of TV coming up, she took it that I was calling her fat and fired me.”
Following Banks’ legal documents filing, a rep for Kwatinetz said in a statement, “Ms. Banks is a talented artist, but she has been acting irresponsibly and dangerously for years.” The spokesperson added, “Ms. Banks’ cross-complaint has no merit and is nothing more than a PR stunt. Mr. Kwatinetz will vindicate his rights in court, where he will prove that Ms. Banks’ allegations are false and slanderous.”
Kwatinetz first sued Banks for defamation and stalking on September 24 last year. However, he decided to dismiss the case in March this year. Then on September 20, he filed a follow-up complaint with similar causes of defamation, trade libel and stalking. He stated that it threatened his wife and young child.
The next court hearing in the case is set for Feb. 1.
