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Steven Tyler calls ex-manager/lawyer litigation a “travesty”

By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 18 December 2012

Steven Tyler has called a lawsuit being pursued by his former management against his lawyer “an outrage and a travesty”. A court filing by the Aerosmith frontman and former ‘American Idol’ judge regards the litigation has been seen by TMZ.

The management firm of US music industry veteran Allen Kovac began legal action against lawyer Dina LaPolt back in October. Kovac claims that he hired LaPolt to work on negotiations with ‘Idol’ producers when Tyler’s contract with the show was up for renewal in late 2011 but, he alleges, the attorney derailed the negotiations by telling ‘Idol’ producers that the star’s reps were overplaying their hand in a bid to up their client’s fee.

Then, after Tyler and ‘Idol’ had officially parted company, the plaintiff’s allege that LaPolt persuaded Tyler to sack his managers, cutting Kovac’s company out of the commission it was due on the severance fee paid by the ‘Idol’ production company when Tyler left the show.

But Tyler denies that LaPolt was behind his decision to part company with Kovac’s management firm. He says that it was Kovac himself who caused his relationship with the management agency to collapse, accusing the industry veteran of being “disrespectful, rude, and insulting to his fiancé and family”.

The rocker adds that he hired the services of Kovac’s company because of his respect for other people working there, but when it became clear that he couldn’t stop the firm’s top man from “inserting himself” into his affairs he decided the partnership had to end.

The litigation is ongoing. Tyler, of course, left ‘Idol’ earlier this year, officially so he could spend more time on his Aerosmith duties.