The children of late reggae star Peter Tosh are feuding over more than $2 million in royalties from his estate, according to a new Manhattan lawsuit reported by the New York Post’s Page Six.
The singer’s daughter, Aldrina McIntosh, claims in the suit that younger sister Niambe McIntosh – who runs her father’s estate – hasn’t paid her or their other eight siblings a cent in royalties for the past five years.
The Tosh estate brings in about $150,000 to $300,000 annually, according to the court case. The money was supposed to be split evenly among the 10 siblings annually after Tosh, who was born Winston McIntosh, was murdered by a gang of robbers in Jamaica in 1987.
Per Page Six:
Niambe, Tosh’s youngest child, took over her father’s estate in 2009. It had previously been run by a court-appointed lawyer because Tosh died without a will.
At the time, there was only $280,000 in the estate’s coffers, but Aldrina believes that her younger sister is sitting on another $1.7 million, according to court papers.
Niambe told The Post on Tuesday that the amount was grossly exaggerated but declined to reveal the balance.
The 33-year-old Boston public-school teacher chalked up the siblings’ court fight to frustration with the estate’s previous manager, whom she ousted for new entertainment consultant Brian Latture. Latture has worked with LL Cool J, Nas and Budweiser.
“We’re all in conversations to start things differently, and we’re moving forward in a united front,” Niambe insisted of herself and her siblings.
Aldrina’s lawyer, Sheldon Fleishman, disputed Niambe’s claim that the sibling rivalry is headed toward reconciliation.
“[Niambe] tells me she keeps them informed,” Fleishman said in an interview with The Post. “Obviously, they tell me something different,” Fleishman said, referring to Aldrina and her siblings.
Niambe recently announced that 10 percent of income from Tosh’s song “Equal Rights” would be donated to the families of Eric Garner and Michael Brown for the next year, saying, “Peter was very altruistic and an advocate for justice.’’
She claims that her siblings support the gift because “we know that my father would have been heavily involved in the protests” surrounding the men’s deaths.
Fleishman said he was not aware of the donation.
This suit was filed in October, and the parties are due in court in February.
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(Photo Source: AP
