NEW YORK (CMC) – Barbadian pop-singing sensation, Rihanna, has blamed her New York accountant for losing US$9 million in 2009.
In new court papers filed in Manhattan Federal court and disclosed in media reports here today, Rihanna, 25, whose real name is Robyn Fenty, claims that she had US$11 million in cash when 2009 began and just US$2 million when it ended, blaming her former accountant at the Manhattan firm of Berdon LLP for the loss.
The pop star claims that accountant Peter Gounis, of Berdon LLP, recommended she purchase a US$7.5 million Beverly Hills, California mansion in 2009.
“So she went ahead and bought it (but) soon enough, the Run This Town crooner was running into serious financial trouble,” the New York Daily News reports.
Gounis advised Fenty that she could afford to purchase [the home] at a time when Fenty was in financial dismay,” her court documents reveal.
Rihanna’s lawsuit claims that the mansion turned out to be a bad deal, filled with mould, leaks and other problems, and she ended up selling it for a US$2 million loss.
The Daily News also reported that the Umbrella singer also claims that the accountants failed to warn her that her Last Girl on Earth Tour in 2009 was likely to lose money. She fired the firm in 2010.
“These allegations are false,” said Thomas Manisero, a lawyer for Berdon LLP. “Berdon acted properly concerning Fenty’s affairs.”
In December, Gounis alleged in court papers that Rihanna blew her cash on clothes, jewellery and private jets.
“At the core of her claim is this belief: someone else is responsible for her conduct and its consequences,” he said in court papers.
Rihanna has since bounced back financially and is now worth around US$43 million.
