Producer Rob Fusari filed a lawsuit against Lady Gaga last week. He says his protégé and former girlfriend fired him when she started getting successful.
In his lawsuit, Fusari says he collaborated on some of Gaga’s hit songs like Paparazzi and Disco Heaven. He claims he is the one who came up with the name Lady Gaga and says he created her stage persona. He also says he helped her get a record deal.
Gaga and Fusari were romantically involved but this morphed into a business relationship in May 2006.
Charles Ortner, lawyer for Lady Gaga, says the singer was duped. The Star reports that her lawyer says the 2006 contract was "structured in such a way as to mask its true purpose – to provide to the defendents unlawful compensation for their services as unlicensed employment agents."
The countersuit also accuses Fusari of taking advantage of an "inexperienced performing artist" by getting her to sign a deal that was "predatory and financially abusive."
Fusari’s lawyer, Robert S. Meloni, says the allegations are ridiculous.
Lady Gaga hopes this countersuit will force Fusari to cancel his own and she also asks for some financial compensation.
Fusari also recently sued Beyoncé. He accuses her of taking credit for the addition of a chord from a Stevie Nicks song in Destiny Child’s monster hit Bootylicious. Fusari says it was his idea to add it but Beyoncé took the credit.