Soul singer Jill Scott is being sued by her record label, Hidden Beach Records. In a lawsuit filed recently in a Los Angeles court, the record company claims that the 37-year-old artist owes them three more studio albums. Scott signed a six-album contract deal more than 10 years ago and has released the double-platinum Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 in 2000; the gold-certified Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2 in 2004; and the gold-certified The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 in 2007.
Scott has released an additional two live CDs and a compilation album. But live CDs aren’t typically considered by music industry standards as fulfilling an artist’s contract, reports AOL Black Voices.
Scott released the following statement regarding the lawsuit.
“The lawsuit filed on February 3, 2010 by Hidden Beach Recordings against Jill Scott has no legal merit and misrepresents the history of Ms. Scott’s relationship with the label. Jill Scott has the legal right to terminate her recording contract with Hidden Beach Recordings under California’s 7-year rule, where she had been a recording artist for more than 10 years. During her time at Hidden Beach Recordings, she released several highly successful albums. At this time, with many creative projects in the works which include music, film and television roles and product development, Ms. Scott looks forward to continuing to further her artistry and building the Jill Scott brand in other creative environments.”