Rihanna has dropped a lawsuit against her father Ronald Fenty, who had previously been alleged to have been misusing the multi-hyphenate’s name for his own benefit.
via: BBC
The pop star had accused her father, Ronald Fenty, of misusing her name to benefit his own entertainment company, and sued him in 2019 for false advertising and invasion of privacy.
She also said he had tried to book her on an overseas tour without permission.
The case was due to come to trial on 22 September, but Rihanna filed to dismiss the case on Tuesday.
No reason was given, but US media reports suggest that she reached an out-of-court settlement with her father and his business partner.
Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, filed her legal case two years ago, saying: “Although Mr Fenty is Rihanna’s father, he does not have, and never has had, authority to act on Rihanna’s behalf.”
She alleged that in 2017, her father and another man, Moses Perkins, created a company called Fenty Entertainment, which repeatedly claimed it was affiliated with Rihanna.
In court documents, her lawyers said: “Mr Fenty and Mr Perkins have used these lies in a fraudulent effort to solicit millions of dollars from unsuspecting third parties in exchange for the false promise that they were authorised to act on Rihanna’s behalf.”
They claimed that Fenty Entertainment tried to book a 15-date tour of Latin America worth $15m (£11m), as well as shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, without Rihanna’s knowledge.
Furthermore, they alleged that Ronald Fenty was trying to profit from the “Fenty” trademark, which Rihanna has used for several business ventures including her multi-million dollar cosmetics line, Fenty Beauty.
Her father had previously tried to file his own trademark for the name Fenty, as part of a plan to open a chain of boutique hotels, she claimed. The US Patent and Trademark Office denied the request.
Asking for an injunction against her father and his business partner, Rihanna said his business activities violated advertising, competition and privacy laws and risked “serious irreparable injury” to the Fenty brand if not stopped.
The singer, who is the world’s richest musician, has long had a strained relationship with her father, who has struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction in the past.
Neither party was immediately available to comment on the termination of the legal case.
Last month, Rihanna announced details for the upcoming Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 special. Fans worldwide will be able to tune in for the unveiling of the new collection on Amazon Prime starting Sept. 24. Simultaneously, fans will also have the chance to shop the collection via the Amazon Fashion Store and the Savage X Fenty site.
