You are quite misinformed, Ma um I mean, Luke.
No one who signed away royalties got them back again. Martha never signed nuthin' away.
No one denied flo legal representation - she just wasn't smart enough to have it. That's all on her.
Flo had a lawyer deal with her departure and, as her #1 fan i feel I can say this: the big, stooopid idiot married a stupider idiot and they lapped up this shyster's suggestions because they were stupidest!!!!
Everybody tries to get the best buy they can in everything. So do lawyers. If this dude saw two simpletons with a third of a million dollars, he's gonna go after it, and did. Flo just wanted OUT - there was no plan or reasoning with her. I so wish it wasn't that way.
Where Motown screwed them over was with chargebacks, shady royalty payments and live performance fee ripoffs.
Ross prolly made more her first year at RCA -than in all her solo years at Motown - not including her 23 mil signing bonus. It took her 20 years and Gene Simmons to open her eyes.
Mary was stupid and greedy also - trying to get The Supremes' name. Why just her? Had she gone to Miss Ross between insults and indignation's and not when she was being named Turki's God Mother, going to her solo debut or loaning her broke ass money, and said, " let's do this as a team for your kids, mine and Flo's' Miss Ross mighta listened and made it happen. Instead, Mary hires a lawyer to get her a solo deal [[at a company that wouldn't even let her sing a full lead on a show, mind you) in exchange for the name fight and winds up with nada but a legal bill. The atty must have known she'd be getting screwed but he wanted a fee and did what was asked. Motown got Mary off their back and if her album took off, they'd make money and do another. If not, they'd be out nothing and be done with her.
you can't blame atty's for clients who don't think things out.
Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
As Flo didn't have legal representation when she signed her release from Motown, her original contract signed by her mother, conflict of interest in being employed by Motown and represented by Motown.... ..couldn't some or all of these reasons justify her family seeking compensation ? Martha Reeves and others successfully sued for royalties signed away and some of these points were in Mary's lawsuit against Motown. Just wondering. And the Supremes getting only $100,000 each in 1970 just boggles the mind...yes inflation would make it about $600,000 today, but still...