Cardi B counter-sues former manager for $15 million

Cardi B has responded to a lawsuit filed by her former manager, Klenord Raphael, with a counter-suit for at least $15 million.

Raphael aka Shaft claimed in April that the rapper and Love & Hip Hop cast member reneged on their contract with him and his company WorldStar after she became a multi-platinum success story.

His lawsuit also included her current managers Kevin ‘Coach K’ Lee and Pierre ‘Pee’ Thomas of Quality Control Management.

He says after discovering her and recording her, his 20% commission was cut.

Aside from breach of contract, he also alleges, “unjust enrichment, declaratory judgment and defamation.”

Cardi B (real name Belcalis Almanzar) has refuted all his allegations.

She further wants the contract to be declared null and void, referring in court documents to, “…the deceitful and disloyal conduct of a self-serving and controlling personal manager.”

She claims that as she rose in prominence, “so too did Shaft’s greed.”

It claims the deal made with Atlantic Records was that 50% of her record royalties were to go to his company, along with all audio and video copyrights and 50% of her song copyrights.

Almanzar alleges that Raphael and WorldStar did not live up to their side of the agreement, like providing independent counsel for the agreement, for not providing a business manager and “specifically by failing to review and fully disclose the material terms of the KSR Recording Agreement and the Furnishing Agreement with Ms. Almanzar.”

Further allegations were that they controlled all the accounts, and, “when they did finally provide some cryptic, incomplete information in or around early 2018, it became clear that KSR and/or its employees had been helping themselves to the “Bank of Almanzar.”

It cites an alleged example when a loan to a management employee of $15,000 last year, “was not formalized with any note, carried no interest, required no collateral and provided no realistic means of repayment.”

Cardi B’s lawsuit wants $5 million in compensatory damages, $15 million in punitive damages of $15 million and for the court to tear up their contract.