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Kid Rock Sued By Former Manager
Kid Rock ’s former manager has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the rapper. Stephen Hutton of Uppercut Management claims that Kid Rock (a.k.a. Robert Ritchie) refused to pay him the full amount he was owed for his services, then fired Hutton when he objected to being paid a lesser amount.
Hutton, who managed Kid Rock from 1994 until last month, filed the lawsuit--which names as defendants both Kid Rock and his Top Dog, Inc. records imprint--in Manhattan’s U.S. District Court on Monday (7/10). The suit claims breach of contract and unjust enrichment, and seeks damages of no less than $4 million, as well as a portion of Ritchie’s future earnings.
Hutton claims that he was largely responsible for transforming Kid Rock from "an unknown, struggling artist" to the platinum-selling success he is today. In a statement issued on Wednesday (7/13), Hutton’s lawyers said that his contract entitled him to 15% of Kid Rock's gross income.
“It saddens me that, after seven years of hard work and my unswerving devotion to Bob [Ritchie] and his career, I am forced to pursue legal action to get what I’ve earned,” said Hutton via the statement.
Kid Rock's latest album “History of Rock” is currently in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart. His 1998 major label debut “Devil Without a Cause” was certified in April by the RIAA for shipping 8 million copies. He is currently on tour with Metallica as part of the Summer Sanitarium Tour, which ends on Sunday (7/16), after which he will embark on a headlining tour of his own.
