Less than a week after being hit with a new lawsuit from New York-based publisher Simon and Schuster, an attorney for rap diva Foxy Brown is speaking out on her client’s latest legal situation.
The suit, which was filed Thursday (July 24) in New York State Supreme Court, stems from a book deal made with Brown to write her autobiography.
The rapper, born Inga Marchand, received a $75,000 advance from Simon and Schuster in 2005 to pen the book, which was tentatively titled Broken Silence.
Despite claims by the publisher that Brown reneged on the deal, the rapper’s attorney, Laura Dilimetin, says Simon and Schuster allowed to her client to put the project on hold after Brown’s "health became a priority" when she was diagnosed with sudden severe hearing loss that same year.
"With Simon and Schuster's blessings, Foxy Brown underwent extensive surgical procedures and a lengthy recovery time, fighting to restore her hearing," Dilimetin told AllHipHop.com in a statement.
It was at this point - after Brown completed rehabilitation to restore her hearing loss - that “Simon and Schuster decided not to go forward with the project," Dilimetin claimed.
"Many attempts were made by Foxy Brown's agents to resurrect the deal, to no avail," she added.
The hearing loss wasn’t the only thing preventing Brown from promoting her autobiography.
The entertainer was sentenced in 2007 for various violations of her probation.
Marchand was released in April after serving eight months of a year-long sentence.
“I find it suspect that after all of these years of silence, Simon and Shuster pick now to bring this meritless action when they were the ones to halt the project,” Dilimetin told AllHipHop.com.
News of the lawsuit hasn’t soured other publishers from offering to negotiate a new book deal with Brown, Dilimetin added.
While the situation seems tense between Brown and Simon and Schuster, Dilimetin shared that the rapper would " love to continue with Simon and Schuster and welcomes talks to continue to solidify a deal."
Brown is the second rapper who has butted heads with Simon and Schuster.
The publisher is also suing former Junior Mafia member Lil Kim, who failed to complete a novel after receiving a $40,000 advance in 2003.
The rapper’s project was supposed to be finished in 2004.
