The producer and his former manager have offered competing accounts of the financial dispute behind a Los Angeles lawsuit.
Timbaland is seeking damages estimated to exceed $15 million in a lawsuit against former manager Gary Marella and former business manager Bruce Seckendorf. Marella disputes the allegations, while the producer’s attorney has challenged his account of the financial problems.
Rolling Stone reports that the complaint, filed October 30 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges misconduct including unauthorized commissions and concealed financial activity. The claims are allegations in a civil case, not findings by a court.
Marella told TheWrap that he disputed the accusations and said the producer’s own spending and financial decisions were responsible for his difficulties. He also said managing the producer’s finances was not his role and denied paying himself without Timbaland’s knowledge.
In a November 2 response to Rolling Stone, attorney Tynia Coats said Timbaland had hired Marella to manage his business affairs and protect his interests. She rejected the suggestion that seeking accountability for those responsibilities amounted to shifting blame.
Coats and Timbaland also alleged discrepancies in financial records and communications and said they would welcome a full accounting. Those assertions, like the claims in the complaint and Marella’s response, remain disputed accounts rather than established facts.
The case includes claims for breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent concealment, breach of contract and civil theft, according to Rolling Stone, and requests a jury trial. TheWrap reported that a representative for Seckendorf did not immediately respond to its request for comment; no outcome in the litigation has been established.
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