Making the Band Franchise in the Center of Court Case
Sean "Diddy" Combs may have to make an appearance in court as a witness in a court case involving MTV Network and its hit reality show, "Making the Band."
The case stems from Soneet Kapila's, a trustee in former boy band creator Lou Pearlman's ongoing bankruptcy case, efforts to sue MTV Networks.
Pearlman, whose Trans Continental Records brought the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC to homes of millions, made headlines in 2006 after evidence surfaced of him admitting to having run a $300 million ponzi scheme.
Unsurprisingly, Pearlman pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, money laundering, and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding. As a result, Pearlman is currently serving up to 25 years in federal prison.
About two years later, Kapila sued MTV Networks in August 2008 in the U.S. bankruptcy court in Orlando over the channel's role in a joint venture with Pearlman's television production company, also named Trans Continental, to create "Making the Band" that premiered in 1999 with the boy band, O-Town.
In a 66-paged complaint, Kapila and Trans Continental are claiming that they were slowly squeezed out of its joint venture with MTV while the music channel broke their promises to share profits from advertising revenue, spin-offs, and other related projects.
Combs will most likely be a witness if the trial goes to court. The case is scheduled to go to mediation this month, but change in outside counsel will likely delay the court date.
