Aaliyah’s uncle claims that his son holds responsibility for the death of the late singer.
The R&B artist died in a plane crash 25 years ago, on August 27, 2001, at age 22. Eight other people died on board the flight, which was going from the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas to Miami, Florida.
TMZ has now obtained a lawsuit filed by Aaliyah’s cousin Jomo Hankerson against his father, Barry Hankerson, the singer’s uncle who owns her masters—a fact, in itself, which has caused controversy and a family battle.
According to the documents, Barry alleges that Jomo was paid to coordinate Aaliyah’s and her entourage’s travel plans but “failed in his responsibility,” leading Aaliyah to take the private jet that fatefully crashed.
The late R&B singer Aaliyah
Kevin Mazur/WireImagePlacing the blame on Jomo, Barry says his relationship with his son has never been the same since Aaliyah’s death.
In a bombshell allegation, Barry says that the incident “may have been avoided had [Jomo] followed through on his compensated task of travel coordination,” reports TMZ.
The death of the Princess of R&B, whose full name is Aaliyah D. Haughton, has remained shrouded in mystery and controversy years later.
Shortly after the crash, the New York Times reported that the small aircraft was overloaded, and managers “who supervised the travel” were warned the weight could be disastrous. It was confirmed that the plane exceeded its maximum weight limit by 200 pounds.
In addition, numerous allegations surrounded the pilot, who was reportedly found intoxicated under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. He was also said to be inexperienced and unqualified to fly the aircraft.
The new accusations surfaced in documents from a lawsuit Jomo filed against his father and Blackground Records, which Barry founded and the father-son duo owned together. It’s unclear whether Jomo is still involved in the record label; the company’s official LinkedIn page currently mentions only Barry.
Jomo alleges that his father owes 12 percent of the earnings he made from music assets in a settlement deal, including recording masters and publishing copyrights for Aaliyah and other artists Toni Braxton, DMX and Timbaland. He is seeking $1.2 million in damages. In turn, Barry has claimed that Jomo threatened to release unseen material by Aaliyah amid the financial dispute.
Both parties have denied any wrongdoing, and the case is ongoing, reports TMZ.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Barry Hankerson and Jomo Hankerson’s legal representatives for comment.
