Lil Kleine loses case against former management over Sony deal

Dutch rapper Lil Kleine has lost a lawsuit against his former management over a record deal with Sony, according to a report by Nieuws.nl. The Amsterdam court ruled on Wednesday that he had not shown the management acted unlawfully, the outlet reported.

Lil Kleine, whose real name is Jorik Scholten, had sought nearly €400,000 in damages from former manager Nathan Moszkowicz and his company, Performer Matters B.V. The dispute concerned a 2021 contract for three albums, which was to provide Scholten with a €3 million advance. Moszkowicz’s management fee was 15 per cent of the deal, Nieuws.nl reported.

Sony ended its collaboration with Scholten after he was arrested on suspicion of assault, the report said. The label then sought to recover €1 million of the advance already paid. Scholten argued that production costs should first have been deducted and that his former management had received too much commission.

Scholten told the ANP news agency he was disappointed and would appeal. He said he believed his past had played a decisive role in the court’s assessment, while insisting the case was about business agreements, responsibilities and trust. Moszkowicz said he was not surprised by the ruling and was pleased with the outcome, according to Nieuws.nl.