Rob Fusari wants re-trial of Starland lawsuit, blames Gaga's fame for biasing jury

[Bebe 17,065]

The bitter battle between Lady Gaga and the 'Svengali' ex-boyfriend who started her out on the path to superstardom has spilled out in a fight over her testimony which helped a friend win a whopping $7.3 million judgment.

Rob Fusari says he now wants another trial in a case in which he was trying to prevent talent scout Wendy Starland from taking the multi-million dollar cut of the profits he made from Gaga

He claims Gaga's 'highly inflammatory' words made jury members hate him so much they didn't take the rest of the evidence into account.

Fusari, 47, maintains the judge in a New Jersey federal court should never have admitted 28-year-old Gaga's deposition - especially the parts where her words made him look so bad that, he claims, the jury ignored the facts of the case.

'This court erred and the error was exceptionally prejudicial,' Fusari - also known as 8Bit - said in court documents filed this month. 'A new trial on all issues is the only remedy.'

Papers released by the court black out most of Gaga's testimony — given under her real name Stefani Germanotta — so it is unclear exactly what she said.

But court papers acknowledge: 'They had a personal relationship and it went sour.’

Gaga and Fusari reportedly became lovers in 2006 when Gaga was 20 and Fusari, at 38, was nearly twice her age. 

Around that time, Gaga claimed to Howard Stern in a radio interview last year, she was raped by a much older man, although she has never identified her alleged attacker.

Lady Gaga explained to Stern that she wrote the song Swine about s-xual violence. 'The song is about rape, the song is about demoralization, the song is about rage and fury and passion - and I had a lot of pain that I wanted to release,' she said.

The singer told Stern that she had not previously revealed the assault because she did not want 'to be defined by it.'

Her personal relationship with Fusari ended within seven months and their business relationship soon followed suit. 

'We had our time, and like anything in life, nothing good lasts forever,' Fusari said in a 2012 interview.

By 2010 when Gaga's career was really taking off, Fusari was asked by Billboard if the two were still friends. 'I don't know,' he replied. 'I feel like I may have been demoted to…what would be one level beneath friend?'

'Professional acquaintance,' suggested interviewer Craig Marks. 'Yeah, there you go. That's it,' said Fusari.

Fusari and Gaga have been involved in bitter court battles for years over her fortune. He initially wanted $30.5 million claiming he received none of the 20% he should have received for songs such as 'Paparazzi' that he is credited as co-writing. In September 2010 they came to a private agreement.

Rolling Stone magazine has described him as her 'Svengali.'

Gaga's career took off after Fusari asked Starland to find him 'the female equivalent' to Julian Casablancas, lead singer of The Strokes. Starland discovered then-teenager Germanotta fronting the SGBand, playing in small clubs in New York and Fusari says he immediately knew she had the potential to become a huge star.

Fusari, who had previously worked on hits for Destiny's Child, Beyonce, Whitney Houston and Will Smith, says Germanotta traveled virtually daily from New York to his studio in Newark, New Jersey and they started dating within two months, despite the age difference.

He claims that he came up with her stage name when he misspelled a text he sent her about the 1984 Queen hit 'Radio Ga Ga' and his phone's autocorrect changed Radio to Lady. 

The future megastar, who was looking for a catchy stagename, is said to have texted back: 'That's it. Don't ever call me Stefani again.

Now the latest court battle with Starland  - who wants half of the money Fusari made from his connection with Lady Gaga  -  has reignited the animosity between the Poker Face singer and the man who helped write much of her first album, The Fame.

Gaga said in her deposition that she believed Fusari and Starland planned to split money they earned from her career down the middle.

'My understanding was that Wendy and him had initially agreed upon 50/50 perhaps before Wendy ever found me,' she said.

'After I was signed to Rob and made music Rob began to change his mind.

'Rob told me himself. Wendy told me herself,' Gaga, 28, continued. 'They both spoke of the deal – agreement – in front of me.'

But in the new papers, Fusari said the superstar's testimony should never have been allowed.

Before the case with Starland even started Fusari tried to stop Gaga testifying, saying she had previously made statements that 'impermissably [sic] attack Fusari's character in general.'

And he said the jury would be starstruck by her presence. 'It will be impossible to find even one potential juror who is unaware of the star,' he said, saying they were all likely to be influenced by her presence in court.

In her deposition, Gaga said her first deal with Fusari, 45, had him taking half of all her future earnings. She called the contract 'very one-sided and very daunting and concerting for a young female artist.'

'I really wanted to move forward with my music career,' she added. 'But I remember I was advised very early that the terms of the agreement were not normal.

She said she was offered other deals but Fusari used 'many inappropriate words to threaten her. 'He dangled the paperwork in front of me until he got me signed.

'I believe that Rob led Wendy to believe that he would include her in the development of my career but had no intention of doing so,' she added.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3000821/Lady-Gaga-s-bad-romance-Svengali-ex-boyfriend-Rob-Fusari-exposed-blames-prot-g-e-s-highly-inflammatory-testimony-7million-court-ruling-against-him.html#ixzz3UwHxFHoY 

[boobtank 9,090]

zzzzzzz

[ViviLittleM 3]

Daily Mail =

[Jan 219]

Go away Rob.

 

 

[VelmaDinkley 195]

Mess  

[Bebe 17,065]

Daily Mail =

​They are not talking from sources though. If it was saying "sources close to Rob" then I wouldn't have even posted.

They have the documents Fusari has filed asking for a retrial. 

[Remus 54]

He really is desperate to get those $$.

 

 

[Shadow 6,567]

Sad... Can't he just go away...

 

[thathimerosguy 3]

jesus christ..move on!! he's literally spent the last 7 years trynna bring gaga down..smmhh

[Tropico 4,145]

He is so profit hungry it's embarrassing.  

[Bebe 17,065]

I thought it was pretty scandalous that the daily mail mentioned Swine and Gaga's Howard Stern interview.

I couldn't dislike Rob any more though. 

[ChicaSkas 22,939]

He really is desperate to get those $$.

 

 

​I think you have it wrong. I don't think he wants the money, he wants to not have to PAY the money.

Can you really blame him? He doesn't have the $7.3 million to pay her, do you really think touring with RuPaul's show will earn him that? Of course he wants the $7 million erased if possible, that's a hell of a lot of money. He should have had things very clear and in writing with all of these women and their managers in the first place... Poor guy. If any of you did half the research I did , you would be seeing that this guy is more to be pitied than scorned.

It's not Gaga's fault directly either -- she can't help being as famous as she is, so of course most people know about her! It's a catch 22.

[Jester 6,302]

Didn't he tell Chica not that long ago that he's not planning to do that and he's ok with gaga now?

[ChicaSkas 22,939]

Didn't he tell Chica not that long ago that he's not planning to do that and he's ok with gaga now?

​exactly. he told me he'd regretted what he'd done in the past. He wanted to kiss and make up.  (I'm paraphrasing there) heres' where he said it:

[darkwolf 590]

Just let go