Famed 'Sweet Love' Singer Anita Baker Shocked After Learning on TV That She Is Wanted by Detroit Police
Eight-time Grammy-winning R&B singer Anita Baker, 56, famous for her '80s hit song "Sweet Love" was left in shock Thursday when she learned via a television news report that she's wanted by police in Detroit, Mich.
According to TMZ, a bench warrant was issued Wednesday after Baker failed to attend a court hearing on an ongoing legal dispute with a paint and decorating company concerning work done on her Grosse Pointe Park home.
Baker, however, revealed in a tweet that the hearing was news to her and expressed shock in a tweet to her 291,000 followers on Twitter Thursday.
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"WHATTT??!!... sittin' in the kitchen watching this on TV. BIG time crazy. Atty on his way to TV Station. Devil sho is busy," Baker tweeted.
WHATTT??!!... sittin' in the kitchen watching this on TV. BIG time crazy. Atty on his way to TV Station. Devil sho is busy.
— Anita Baker (@IAMANITABAKER) March 20, 2014The singer's attorney, Jamal Hamood, told WXYZ-TV that the lawsuit is a frivolous one over work done in her dining room by Ray Smith Painting and Decorating.
He said she has been outside of Detroit recording a new album and no one on her team was informed of the hearing.
"She is very distraught about the situation," said Hamood.
The initial legal action stems from a 2010 lawsuit filed by Ray Smith Painting. It was dismissed, but a sub-contractor for Ray Smith admitted to poor workmanship and Baker thought the matter was resolved.
Years later, however, Ray Smith refiled the case for $15,351 in a move that blindsided the singer and which Hamood argued was done to attract bad publicity and strong-arm her into paying for shoddy work.
They are trying to "use the media to embarrass her. Embarrass her in front of her children, in front of her neighbors and get her to cough up $15, 000," said Hamood.
Attorney for the contractor, Dan Gerow, argued in the claim that the work done by his client doesn't reconcile with the fact that she paid $42,000 to Ray Smith Painting for other jobs inside her home.
He also denied allegations that they tried to attract bad publicity for the singer, knowing that she was out of town.
"I don't know when she's outta' town. I don't know her schedule," said Gerow in a phone interview.
The bench warrant comes following a creditor's exam where Baker was supposed to disclose her finances in person.
According to Baker's Twitter profile: "Music is my sanctuary. Every song is a prayer offered up to HIS glory. In GRATITUDE for the gift of song. Thank you! in HIS presence."
