Legendary musician Sly Stone won a major legal battle yesterday when a court ordered his former manager and attorney to pay Stone a total of $5 million in unpaid royalties. The lawsuit originates from 2010 when Stone, real name Sylvester Stewart, filed a suit against his former manager, Gerald Goldstein, and attorney, Glenn Stone, that claimed they led Stone to sign an employment agreement with Even Street Prods., but instead used the money for their own personal gain. The court ordered that Goldstein and Even Street Prod. each pay $2.4 million to Stone, while his former attorney owes $50,000.
Over the past few years, Stone has faced a number of difficulties, which were brought to the public's attention in 2011 when it was revealed that he was homeless and living in his van in Los Angeles. In 2013, an appeals court ruled against Stone in his case against Sony, BMI, and Warner, in which he was seeking royalties from the labels. “It was a classic case of Hollywood accounting, but I guess it would have to be called record industry accounting,” said Nick Hornberger, the lead attorney for Stone to Variety.
