|
 The multimillionaire rapper said in a petition filed in
Manhattan Supreme Court that the lack of racial diversity among
arbitrators at the American Arbitration Association (AAA) was
discriminatory under New York's state constitution and a New
York City human rights law.
Iconix could not immediately be reached for comment, and a
spokeswoman for the AAA declined to comment.
The dispute is the latest in a series of legal wranglings
arising from Jay-Z's 2007 sale of his Rocawear clothing brand to
Iconix for about $204 million. Iconix has since written off
almost the entire value of the brand, and in 2017 sued Jay-Z in
Manhattan federal court over trademark rights. That case remains
pending.
In 2015, Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, and Iconix
settled some disputes, and agreed to address future claims in
private arbitration, according to Jay-Z's petition.
Last month, Iconix accused Jay-Z of breaching the 2015
settlement and demanded an AAA arbitration.
But Jay-Z said the AAA found only three potential
African-American arbitrators, out of the hundreds it uses, for
his case, and one already represented Iconix in related
litigation.
He argued that the lack of "more than a token number of
African-Americans" made the arbitration contract void.
[to top of second column] |
"It would stand to reason that prospective litigants - which
undoubtedly include minority owned and operated businesses - expect
there to be the possibility that the person who stands in the shoes
of both judge and jury reflects the diverse population," the
petition said.
Jay-Z, 48, is famous for songs including "Hard Knock Life," "99
Problems" and "Big Pimpin'."
The Brooklyn native has won 21 Grammy Awards, most recently in 2015
for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance for "Drunk in Love" with
his wife, pop star Beyonce.
In May, a federal judge ordered him to respond to a U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission subpoena related to the Rocawear sale.
The SEC said it was looking in to writedowns by Iconix, and wanted
to ask Jay-Z about his personal involvement with the brand.
(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
