By April MacIntyre Jun 17, 2006, 17:56 GMT
An Alabama court awarded Idol's season-two champion Ruben Studdard, 26, $2 million in a lawsuit brought against Studdard's former manager last year, who was accused of misappropriating more than $200,000 of Studdard's money.
Studdard sued his ex-manager and Godfather, Ronald W. Edwards, and the management and promotions company, Sez Inc., for mismanagement and identity theft, claiming that Edwards had forged Studdard's signature on paperwork giving Edwards power of attorney over Studdard's finances. Edwards filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last June, claiming insolvency.
According to E!Online, "Jefferson County Circuit Judge Scott Vowell awarded Studdard $500,000 in actual damages and another $1.5 million in punitive damages after ruling that Edwards had in fact messed with more than $246,000 of the Birmingham-born singer's earnings. The judge determined that Edwards improperly used Studdard's credit cards and took money from his checking and other bank accounts, including $10,000 to repay his own bank loan."
"Edwards also countersued Studdard in March 2005--a few weeks after Studdard filed his original complaint--for $500,000, saying the singer failed to pay him his deserved management fees and expenses."
Studdard's debut album, Soulful, went platinum, and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance. The singer will host a music camp in Dothan, Alabama for youngsters with musical promise.
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