Jury to Ashanti: Pay the Man

Fri., Jul. 22, 2005 8:45 AM PDT by Charlie Amter

Ashanti may have been young and "Foolish" when she recorded some of her earliest tracks back in 1996, but she is still liable to a music producer she worked with before she became famous.

At least that's what a federal jury in New York found Thursday, ordering the R&B star to pay her first music producer, Genard Parker, $630,000 in back royalties.

The Grammy-winning singer testified Monday that she didn't have any obligation to Parker once they recorded a number of songs together in 1996 and 1997 and before she became a chart-topping fixture in 2002.

But jurors weren't swayed by the 24-year-old's testimony, and they awarded Parker, who has worked with such artists as K-Ci & JoJo and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, a sizable monetary award in his breach-of-contract suit.

Parker's attorney, Jasmine Khalili, characterized the award as a "huge victory."

Ashanti wasn't present for the verdict, but her legal crew was predictably less happy with the outcome. Harry Stokes, the singer's attorney, said Ashanti planned to appeal the decision.

"We think the jury got confused somewhat, particularly on the damages," he said. "We feel confident when this is said and done we won't have to pay out anything."

Team Ashanti had argued it was only after the success of her multiplatinum-selling albums Ashanti (2002) and Chapter II (2003) that Parker claimed his contract was violated and demanded money.

For his part, Parker said Thursday he wished Ashanti well--despite the fact that during the trial the singer and her legal team "had plenty of negative things to say about me."

Parker had claimed that he agreed to release Ashanti from her contract when she signed her first record deal with the understanding that he could produce two songs on her debut album and would receive a $50,000 advance plus royalties.

"This case is about abandoning the people that help us succeed," Khalili said in her opening remarks.

The "Foolish" singer was only able to attend the beginning of the trial this week because she was reportedly filming scenes for an upcoming movie in Vancouver Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ashanti plays the Reno Hilton this Saturday.