NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – Former manager of Season 18 American Idol contestant and British-Canadian pop star Lauren Spencer-Smith has filed suit against Universal Music Group (UMG) and two of its labels, citing “libel,” “slander” and “tortious interference.”
Lawyers for entertainment lawyer and manager David Ehrlich, who represented Spencer-Smith as her lawyer and manager, filed with the Supreme Court of the State of New York on Wednesday (April 26) against UMG Recordings, Island and Republic Records.
“Defendants falsely told Spencer-Smith and others that Plaintiff David Ehrlich… engaged in (1) unlawful behavior with women by taking photos of them and (2) unlawful harassment towards women,” the court filing states.
The lawsuit alleges that these “false and defamatory statements” caused Spencer-Smith to end the contracts with Ehrlich’s entertainment law firm, David M. Ehrlich & Associates, and his talent management company, DME Management.
The lawsuit claims that, due to those statements, “several of plaintiffs’ prospective business relations broke down, thereby directly causing damage to plaintiffs.”
The lawsuit seeks $45 million in damages, including $25 million for alleged “defamatory conduct,” $10 million for the loss of the management contract with Spencer-Smith and $5 million for the loss of the legal representation contract. It also seeks court fees and interest charges.
Not named in the lawsuit, Spencer-Smith signed a new management agreement with Ziggy Chareton and Shawn Mendes’ manager, Andrew Gertler’s AG Artists. In September 2022, a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music (WMC) was signed.
