Patti LaBelle agreed last week to pay $100,000 in a personal injury settlement filed against her. However, according to her lawyer, the deal may not go through.
In November of 2010, LaBelle allegedly verbally abused, and attempted to physically abuse, a woman and her 17-month-old daughter in an apartment building in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. LaBelle was living in the apartment building while in the Broadway production of “Fela!” She saw Roseanna Monk’s young daughter playing alone in the lobby, and became outraged. She verbally accosted Monk, began “yelling, screaming obscenities, throwing water, drenching with water” and attempted to “strike and physically injure” the plaintiff and her young daughter, sending the baby into hysterics, according to the suit.
Sam Davis, the attorney for the victims, said on Friday that LaBelle’s lawyer Dorothy Weber was trying to set aside the settlement. Weber is claiming that Roseanna Monk breached a confidentiality agreement by discussing the case publically. Davis maintains that no such agreement exists.
According to Davis, LaBelle’s legal team also attempted to throw out or destroy evidence of the altercation. The singer initially denied the altercation, and surveillance tapes from the lobby disappeared after the incident. However, a retired police officer who worked in the building gave eye witness testimony. The defense’s legal team also wanted testimony from LaBelle’s son to be destroyed.
The altercation seems out of character for the “Lady Marmalade” singer, but this is not her first lawsuit. Richard King, a West Point cadet, sued LaBelle last year after her security team attacked him at the Houston Airport. “Apparently defendant LaBelle believed King was standing too close to her luggage, even though he was oblivious to her presence,” the lawsuit said. “LaBelle lowered the window of her limousine and gave a command to a trio of bodyguards.” Surveillance video showed King being punched, and falling into a concrete pillar.
Roseanna Monk and her husband Kevin planned to donate the $100,000 settlement to a children’s cancer charity. Roseanna Monk told the New York Post, “This is an opportunity for Patti LaBelle to help a lot of children, and I feel good about that.”
If you or a loved one have been harmed by another person or business, you may have a personal injury claim. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. We offer free consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so contact us today. 803.252.4800.
