‘I feel betrayed:’ Celine Dion reacts after she loses legal battle against ICM and agent over commissions
- The Grammy-winner had a dispute with ICM and her former rep Rob Prinz over commission she owed
- The CLC upheld the contract she entered into
- The agency and Prinz parted ways with her last year after she didn’t pay commission
Celine Dion said she feels ‘betrayed’ after losing a legal ruling in a suit over commission with the ICM Partners agency after the California Labor Commissioner ruled against her on Thursday.
The Grammy-winner had a dispute with the agency over commission she owed, and the CLC upheld the contract she entered into, Deadline reported, citing court docs.
The That’s the Way It Is artist inked a $500 million pact three years ago, but the agency and her rep Rob Prinz parted ways with her after she didn’t pay commission.
The latest: Celine Dion, 52, said she feels ‘betrayed’ after losing a legal ruling in a suit over commission with the ICM Partners agency, after the California Labor Commissioner ruled against her on Thursday
‘I have paid Mr. Prinz many millions of dollars over the years,’ said the My Heart Will Go On singer, 52. ‘And when this all started, my team made an extremely generous offer to pay him and ICM many more millions for years to come, even though our old agreements were over and we had not made a new one.
‘I’m not saying that Mr. Prinz did not do anything, but he’s taking much more credit for my career than he deserves.’
The French-Canadian artist said that ‘Prinz had never asked to be paid for 10 years for a few months’ work,’ and that she had ‘never agreed to it.’
She referenced her late husband René Angélil: ‘When Rene was alive, he took care of my business and was always very fair with the people we worked with, and he taught me to be the same.
In concert: Dion was snapped last year performing in Quebec City
Response: Dion said her former agent was ‘taking much more credit for my career than he deserves’
‘Because he wasn’t here to stand up for me at the hearing, I feel like Mr. Prinz and ICM took advantage with their demands for money and revealing confidential information about my AEG deal. I feel betrayed.’
The CLC said in the ruling that it has ‘consistently applied the rule stating, ‘[a] talent agency is generally entitled to receive post termination commissions for all employment secured by the agency prior to its termination.’
The commission noted past cases such as Endeavor Agency v. Alyssa Milano, ICM Partners v. James Bates and Paradigm Talent Agency v. Charles Carroll in its ruling, Variety reported.
‘Commissions are owed post termination for monies negotiated by the agent during the term of the agreement,’ the ruling said, ‘and the artist cannot unilaterally determine there is no further obligation to pay for work already performed.’
ICM counsel Patricia Glaser said in a statement that they were ‘very pleased’ at the ruling ‘which unequivocally confirmed ICM’s and Rob Prinz’s right to commission an extremely lucrative deal which they were instrumental in negotiating and procuring.’