A family war is erupting and new allegations are surfacing around Aaliyah’s fatal 2001 plane crash as her uncle and longtime manager, Barry Hankerson, blames his son, Jomo Hankerson. Barry claims Jomo is partly to blame because he allegedly failed to properly coordinate travel for his superstar cousin, as requested.
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The claims arrive in a new lawsuit filed by Jomo against Barry and his record label, Blackground Records. In the court documents, obtained by TMZ, Barry alleges Jomo received payment to coordinate travel for her final music video shoot. It took place in the Bahamas in August 2001. Barry says his son “failed in responsibility” to handle the singer’s travel plans.
Subsequently, on August 25, 2001, she ended up on a private jet that crashed shortly after takeoff. The accident killed her and eight others onboard. Barry continues to claim the fatal plane crash “may have been avoided had [Jomo] followed through on his compensated task of travel coordination.” Barry adds that the relationship with his son was never the same after Aaliyah’s passing.
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Jomo Hankerson Alleges Father Barry Hankerson’s Blackground Label Owes Him Money And Exploited Artists
Also uncovered in this brewing family war is the fact that Jomo alleges his father Barry breached a settlement over recording masters and music publishing rights belonging to Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX, and Timbaland. Additionally, he says a settlement deal shows Blackground owes him 12% of the money Barry made from the music assets.
Furthermore, the son claims his father used the record label to conceal money. Jomo alleges Barry “manufactured expenses that have nothing to do with the music assets, all for the purpose of pressuring [him] into accepting less than what he is owed.” Now, Jomo is seeking over $1.2 million in damages.
In response to Jomo’s claims, Barry denies all allegations. Instead, he claims the mentioned settlement is not valid as it was executed under fraud. Barry continues to claim Jomo once threatened to released Aaliyah’s unreleased music if his father refused to meet his financial demands. However, Jomo, like his father, denies all claims of wrongdoing.
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