Albert Hammond, a songwriter and composer who has enjoyed extraordinary success over the years, is being sued by his former manager, Kasaan Steigen, who is taking partial credit for helping him make a comeback but says she was then left out of subsequent financial rewards.
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Hammond had several chart-toppers in the late-1970s and later worked with artists such as Starship, Chicago, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Julio Iglesias, and others on many big hits. He’s also been nominated for an Oscar and a Grammy.
By the turn of the century, however, his string of success had largely dried up, until he collaborated with the British singer Duffy on her album, “Endlessly,” which came out late last year.
Steigen says it was her idea for Hammond to begin working with recording artists, instead of songwriters as was his usual custom, and also says it was her work that led Hammond to Duffy.
She says she was paid $35,000 per year for her work as a manager, which was well below industry standard, but says acceptable thanks to an agreement to be paid a percentage of all of Hammond’s earnings and compensation from new work.
According to the new lawsuit filed in LA Superior Court, “Hammond had no intention of fulfilling his promises to Steigen at the time he made them, just as he failed to fulfill other promises and obligations to others, even though he is a multimillionaire, and routinely talks about his wife’s $90,000 per year shopping habbit.”
Suing for breach of contract, Steigen wants her allegedly-owed commissions plus other punitive damages.
Hammond couldn’t be reached for comment.