SHEIK YERBOUTI
07-03-2003, 04:35 PM
LOS ANGELES - Jennifer Lopez (news) has filed a petition with California's labor commission that accuses her former representative, Benny Medina, of failing to have a valid talent agent's license while managing her career.
The singer-actress fired Medina in June after five years of service.
While the state has different rules governing the activities of managers and talent agents, Lopez's attorney, Barry Hirsch, said Medina — who worked as her manager — inappropriately performed talent agent functions, such as negotiating deals for her upcoming film "Shall We Dance?" and a sponsorship agreement with L'Oreal cosmetics.
Medina told The Associated Press Wednesday that Lopez always had a talent agent while he worked with her and denied that his activities crossed over into that territory.
"This is a real display of lack of gratitude and appreciation for what other people do in the building of a career and at the same time it shows tremendous avarice and greed," he added.
The document filed Wednesday, which "Entertainment Tonight" first reported, seeks to invalidate all remaining partnerships between Medina and Lopez. It also said Lopez, 32, wants Medina to repay everything he earned while working for her, plus 10 percent interest.
Medina and his Handprint Entertainment company were set to receive 10 percent of her entertainment earnings — excluding music work, for which she would pay 15 percent, according to the document. She said she also agreed to pay 10 percent of other earnings, which included work in the fashion industry.
DAYYYYUM!!! :eek: Maybe she sees the light at the end of her career?
The singer-actress fired Medina in June after five years of service.
While the state has different rules governing the activities of managers and talent agents, Lopez's attorney, Barry Hirsch, said Medina — who worked as her manager — inappropriately performed talent agent functions, such as negotiating deals for her upcoming film "Shall We Dance?" and a sponsorship agreement with L'Oreal cosmetics.
Medina told The Associated Press Wednesday that Lopez always had a talent agent while he worked with her and denied that his activities crossed over into that territory.
"This is a real display of lack of gratitude and appreciation for what other people do in the building of a career and at the same time it shows tremendous avarice and greed," he added.
The document filed Wednesday, which "Entertainment Tonight" first reported, seeks to invalidate all remaining partnerships between Medina and Lopez. It also said Lopez, 32, wants Medina to repay everything he earned while working for her, plus 10 percent interest.
Medina and his Handprint Entertainment company were set to receive 10 percent of her entertainment earnings — excluding music work, for which she would pay 15 percent, according to the document. She said she also agreed to pay 10 percent of other earnings, which included work in the fashion industry.
DAYYYYUM!!! :eek: Maybe she sees the light at the end of her career?