NEED TO KNOW
Andra Day is in the midst of a legal face-off with her former manager, who she claims stole more than $1.6 million from her, leaving her facing eviction and without enough money to tour.
The “Rise Up” singer, 40, was sued by BassLine Management and Buskin’ LLC for breach of contract and unjust enrichment in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Oct. 6 — and just one day later, she filed a suit of her own against former manager Jeff Evans, whom she called a “faithless fiduciary” who was “caught red-handed stealing from” the Golden Globe-winning star (née Cassandra Batie).
“Ms. Day filed a baseless law suit against our clients one day after our clients brought an action against Ms. Day for royalties rightfully due to them,” Evans, BassLine and Buskin’s attorney says in a statement to PEOPLE. “Our clients categorically deny the allegations made against them and look forward to their day in court.”
Attorneys for Day declined further comment.
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Day’s filing said the full extent of Evans’ alleged theft was unknown, though a preliminary investigation put the number at more than seven figures, and elsewhere in the filing, she claims that he kept all of the $600,000 that Warner Bros. Records gave her to fund the recording of her album.
“What is immediately apparent is that Evans abused his role as a fiduciary to scam Day with blindless greed,” the complaint, which was obtained by PEOPLE, says. “He siphoned so much money from Day — a quadruple-platinum hitmaker and Golden Globe Best Actress winner — that he left her facing eviction, unable to pay the monthly minimum on her credit card debt, and without sufficient funds to tour.”
The complaint says that in 2023, despite her success, which included the movie The United States vs. Billie Holiday and a Grammy-nominated album, Day was “in financial ruins, unable to pay the minimum on her $300,000 plus credit card debt, and on the verge of being evicted.”
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Day’s complaint accused Evans of keeping 100% of several large payments that were supposed to be collected by her business manager, mischaracterizing costs and expenses, and traveling “extravagantly” on her dime. The complaint alleges that Evans and his companies BassLine and Buskin’ “wrongfully misappropriated” nearly $1.2 million from Day, and also says they “have admitted to failing to pay” her more than $575,000.
“Evans and his companies have woven a web of deceit,” the complaint alleges.
Meanwhile, the first lawsuit, which was filed by Evans’ companies — one a personal management company and the other a music production and publishing company — accuses Day of owing them a minimum of $850,000, and says that her failure to pay “constitutes breaches” of various agreements made between 2011 and 2023.
They are seeking the $850,000 they believe they are owed, plus more damages and a trial by jury. Day, meanwhile, wants a court declaration terminating the 40% to which Buskin is entitled of her net profits, plus BassLine’s 20% of her gross monies, as well as damages and attorneys’ fees and costs determined in a trial by jury.
