What you need to know
Andra Day is in the midst of a legal showdown with her former manager, who she claims stole more than $1.6 million from her, leaving her facing eviction and not having enough money to tour.
The “Rise Up” singer, 40, was accused of breach of contract and unjust enrichment by Bassline Management and Baskin LLC in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on October 6. Just one day later, she filed her own lawsuit against former manager Jeff Evans, calling him a “dishonest trustee” who was “caught red-handed stealing” from the Golden Globe-winning star (her maiden name). Cassandra Batty).
“One day after our customers filed suit against Ms. Day for royalties that were rightfully owed to her, Ms. Day filed a frivolous lawsuit against our customers,” Evans, an attorney for Bassline and Baskin, said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Our clients categorically deny the allegations against them and look forward to their day in court.”
Day’s attorney declined further comment.
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Day’s filing doesn’t give the full extent of Evans’ alleged thefts, but preliminary investigations put the number at more than seven figures, and elsewhere in the filing she claims she kept all of the $600,000 Warner Bros. Records gave her to finance the recording of her album.
“It is immediately clear that Evans abused his role as a fiduciary to defraud Day out of blind greed,” the complaint, obtained by PEOPLE, says. “He siphoned so much money from Day, the Quadruple Platinum hitmaker and Golden Globe winner for Best Actress, that he put her at risk of eviction, left her unable to make her minimum monthly credit card payments, and without enough money to tour.”
Despite successes such as the film “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” and a Grammy-nominated album, in 2023 Day was “financially insolvent, unable to pay the $300,000 minimum and credit card debt, and at risk of eviction,” according to the complaint.
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Day’s complaint accuses Evans of retaining 100% of several large payments that were supposed to be collected by management, misrepresenting costs and expenses, and taking “lavish” trips on his own dime. The complaint alleges that Mr. Evans and his companies, Busline and Baskin, “misappropriated” nearly $1.2 million from Mr. Day and also “admitted to failing to pay” more than $575,000.
“Evans and his company weaved a web of deception,” the complaint alleges.
Meanwhile, the first lawsuit, filed by Evans’ companies (one a personal management company and the other a music production and publishing company), accuses Day of at least $850,000 in debts and says his failure to make payments is a “breach” of various agreements made between 2011 and 2023.
They are seeking additional damages and a jury trial on top of the $850,000 they believe they are owed. Mr. Day, on the other hand, is seeking a court declaration terminating the payment of 40% of Baskin’s net profits and 20% of Bassline’s gross revenues, as well as any damages and attorney’s fees determined in a jury trial.
