Christina Aguilera in Court as Leaked Texts Fuel Legal Battle with Ex-Business Partner.
Christina Aguilera has requested a Los Angeles judge to keep her legal dispute with her ex-business partner private according to the latest filings. Court documents reveal that Christina, 43, is seeking to have the lawsuit filed by businessman John Herzog and his company, Herzog Holdings, along with Xquistitely Frozen, LLC, moved to arbitration.
She contends that the agreements signed by both parties clearly state that any disputes should be resolved through arbitration rather than in a public courtroom. Additionally, Christina claimed that John was “unable to deliver a viable product.” Her attorney stated, “Despite the Company being established over three years ago, [John and his company] have yet to produce a frozen dessert product.
In an attempt to deflect responsibility for this shortcoming, [John’s] Complaint includes various allegations regarding supposed disputes among the three main parties involved in the Operating Agreement concerning the Company’s management and operations.” The judge has not yet made a decision on Christina’s request. In his lawsuit, John and his company assert that they spent months developing an ice cream brand for Christina, only for her and her team to withdraw at the last moment.
Latest: Jury Finds Conor McGregor Guilty of Hotel Rape in Civil Case, Awards Victim Damages
Other defendants in the lawsuit include Roc Nation, Roc’s executive Laurence “Jay” Brown, and another Roc employee, Sarah Francus. John’s lawsuit claims breach of contract, intentional interference with contractual relations, and fraud against Jay and Roc Nation.
In 2020, Christina joined forces with Jay-Z’s management company, Roc Nation. According to the lawsuit, John mentioned that after Christina signed with Roc Nation, Jay Brown reached out to him about creating a product line for her. John stated that he was familiar with Jay from previous collaborations but was initially hesitant.
Jay assured him that Christina would be dedicated and that other Roc Nation clients would assist in promoting the product. Ultimately, they agreed on Christina launching a line of ice cream and frozen desserts. Christina and her team envisioned the venture becoming as successful as Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty.
Latest: RHOA Star Porsha Williams Faces Defamation Lawsuit from Ex Simon Guobadia Over ED Claims
They planned to name the brand Xquistitely Frozen. John alleged that Jay was so enthusiastic about the concept that he decided to start his own ice cream brand, independent of Christina’s. John entered into a separate agreement to help develop Jay’s brand, Madison Brown. He claimed Jay assured him he would inform Christina about his ice cream venture, but John doubted this ever occurred. In the lawsuit, John alleged that Jay lost interest in Christina’s project once his ice cream business was established. He accused Jay of stalling Christina’s deal to benefit his competing Madison Brown ice cream line.
John claimed that Jay and Roc Nation caused Christina to miss important meetings and made unreasonable demands. Eventually, the focus shifted from ice cream to paletas, despite John asserting that he had invested significant time and money into the ice cream line. He described Christina as a joy to collaborate with and shared several text messages they exchanged throughout the process. He recalled her texting him, “great things on the horizon!!” in October 2020 and “so happy today and for all the new exciting things that lie ahead” in December 2020. John mentioned that he relied on Christina’s encouraging messages as he continued to invest in the project.
After one meeting, he mentioned that Christina sent him a text saying, “I just wanted to express how wonderful today was and how thrilled I am about our partnership, as well as the friendship we’ve built. Your faith and support in me from the very beginning have always meant a lot. I always leave our time together feeling uplifted and inspired.”
John shared that he had given Christina and her family tickets to various sports events and concerts as “gestures to show friendship and his dedication to nurturing a positive and supportive partnership, which is crucial for a successful business relationship.” When they switched from ice cream to paletas, John noted that Christina sent him a picture of a children’s book available on Amazon called Paletero Man, mentioning that her daughter’s class had “recently read it in school … a sign.” John stated that he continued to work on the project for several months.
However, things changed in March 2023 when he said Christina stopped responding after months of friendly messages and after he had provided her with expensive event tickets. In his lawsuit, John claimed he never received an explanation for why the deal fell through. He alleged that Christina and Roc Nation ceased their work on the deal and shifted the pop star’s focus to selling lubricants and sex toys. John's lawsuit seeks unspecified damages along with punitive damages.
