R&B superstar Mary J. Blige and her label, MCA Records, were hit with a $10 million lawsuit in United States District Court in the Southern District Of New York on Monday (January 27). The suit was filed by songwriters Kiyamma Griffin and Floyd Howard, who maintain that they were never paid any royalties for five songs they produced and wrote for the R&B diva.
The songs in question include “Sexy” by Howard and Griffin as well as Griffin’s “No Happy Holiday” from Blige’s 1999 set, Mary; and “Flying Away” by Howard and Griffin, “Destiny” by Griffin, and “To You” by Griffin from Blige’s 2001 album, No More Drama.
Nell Carter, who played the sassy, matronly housekeeper on the 1980s sitcom “Gimme a Break!” and received a Tony Award in 1978 for her performance in the Broadway musical “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” died Thursday, her publicist said. She was 54.