Lady Gaga Counter Suit: You'll Get Nothing, Rob

Fashion icon, Lady Gaga and her attorney, Charles Ortner, have filed a counter suit against the New Jersey producer, Rob Fusari, who sued the outrageous "Paparazzi" performance artist on St. Patrick's Day for $30.5 million.

The 23-year-old Gaga, whose real name is Stephani Germanotta, is clearly not interested in negotiating a settlement with Fusari, her 41-year-old former boyfriend/producer. Gaga's counterclaim is being based upon Fusari working as an unlicensed talent agent. The claim asks the court to find that the contract between Gaga and Fusari was invalid:

"The arrangement was structured in such a way as to mask its true purpose - to provide the defendant unlawful compensation for their services as unlicensed employment agents."

She also wants any money already paid to the producer returned.

Fusari's lawyer, Robert Meloni, spoke to MTV News on March 19th and said the counterclaim "does not pass the laugh test. I assume their strategy here in response to Fusari's complaint is 'the best defense is a good offense,' with their claim being the 'offense' but it really gives 'falling on your sword' an entirely new meaning. Ms. Germanotta really should not be playing with sharp objects."

When MTV News tried to get a reply to that remark from Gaga's camp, they got an email from a rep stating " "We intend to let this play out in the courtroom, not the media."

Of course, that is not going to happen. The court will be hearing the facts, but in the meantime, if the lawsuit proceeds, we can expect to continue to be entertained with headlines like Perez Hilton's report even before the counterclaim was filed: "Gaga Sued by Douchey Ex for $30 million." The entry on his blog gives no particular reason for Perez deciding to call Rob Fusari a douche so I guess the only basis is he is a Lady Gaga fan.

But a lot of people do believe Rob Fusari, who insists he is the one who coined the name "Lady Gaga" (this was also reported a June 23, 2009 article by AC contributor Renee Bagley, All ABout Lady Gaga). Rob says he played a major part in helping to nurture and develop Gaga's sound and style. He also co-wrote her songs "Paparazzi" and "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich." Fusari's lawsuit seeks a 20 per cent share of royalties and 15 per cent of merchandising monies.

While fan blogs and other media will undoubtedly take sides and sensationalize the dispute, how do you feel about someone who signs a contract with you and later reneges over a legal loophole? This would leave a sour taste in the mouth of most people since it is a lot more than a slap in the face. Fusari has already been paid an amount estimated to be about $611,000. Why would the Gaga team already be paying him half a million dollars, and not want it back until they were sued for more?

A $30.5 million dollar lawsuit does not sound like a frivolous lawsuit, so one would assume that Fusari presented his attorney with enough proof to form the basis for that kind of a demand. It's also unlikely that Fusari's attorney would not know an invalid contract when he sees one. However, if Gaga's attorney is correct, you can expect the lawsuit to be dismissed on summary judgment fairly soon.

Now what fun would that be?

Sources: Embedded