Prince Accused of Pocketing Agent Profits
Apr. 21 2009, Published 9:39 a.m. ET
The Purple One has been accused of hiding some green.
Literary agency Vigliano Associates, Ltd. are suing Rogers Nelson, aka Prince, for allegedly using them to broker two book deals last year then cutting the agency out when it came time to sign.
Papers filed in Los Angeles County court today say Vigliano helped conceive and shop "21 Nights," a multimedia photo essay collection documenting Prince's three week stint at London's O2 Arena with Atria books, then a special edition with publishing house Kraken Opus.
Agreements with Prince said 15% of gross profits from the sale of both books would go to Vigliano. In Summer 2008, however, when the agency attempted to finalize all deals, they claim both Prince and the publishers stopped returning phone calls.
For alleged wrongful avoidance of payment, Vigliano is seeking a minimum of $200,000 in monies owed, an undisclosed settlement and attorneys fees.
(Photo: Retna)