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CNN
May 5, 2000
Web posted at: 6:05 p.m. EST (2205 GMT)
From staff and wire reports
Sammy Davis' estate sues music company
LOS ANGELES -- The estate and widow of Sammy Davis Jr. have filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) and its subsidiary Polygram Records on charges of breach of contract, fraud and failure to pay royalties, Variety reports.
Davis and MGM-Verve Records agreed in 1976 to re-release 35 of Davis' songs, according to the complaint filed last week in federal court in the Southern District of New York. The compilation was to include "The Candy Man," "Mr. Bojangles" and other hits, the magazine reports.
(MGM-Verve was later purchased by Polygram, which UMG in turn bought in 1998.)
The company neither released an album nor returned the masters to the Davis family -- a violation of the agreement, the suit says. The complaint also contends that Davis, who died of cancer in 1990, for 23 years was duped out of royalties generated by the individual licensing of those songs.
A UMG representative declined comment, citing the company's policy against talking about pending litigation.
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