Clouds in Her Coffee? Carly Simon Sues Starbucks

Carly Simon has been wronged once again, according to a lawsuit she has filed against Starbucks alleging the coffee company’s record label mismanaged her latest album.

“I want to be somebody who faces things and who doesn’t get stepped on,” Simon told the New York Times, “because I’ve been stepped on too much in my life and I don’t want my self-esteem to suffer. I feel that I’ve just about had enough.”

Simon claims Starbucks said the recordings on its Hear Music label would be displayed by cash registers and she would get an advance of $750,000 to $1 million, according to the Times story. But the final contract offered only $575,000, and she had already spent $100,000 of the money on recording sessions, says the suit, filed in California court. Then Starbucks retreated from the music business five days before the release of her album, handing off management to the Concord Music Group, which didn’t promote and distribute the album as promised, the suit contends.

“Broken trust, men misbehaving, women trying to recover—these sound like themes pulled from a Carly Simon song,” the Times writes. “Maybe from all of Carly Simon’s songs. But this time Ms. Simon was telling a story about her most recent record, a 2008 Brazilian-tinged album called This Kind of Love.”

Simon is represented by Boies, Schiller & Flexner. The suit seeks $5 million to $10 million and claims concealment of material facts, tortious interference with Simon’s contract, and unfair business practices.

A Starbucks spokesperson told the Times the company is disappointed to hear of the suit and hopes it can be resolved "in an amicable manner."

Additional coverage:

Am Law Litigation Daily: "You're So Sued: Boies Schiller Files Carly Simon's Suit Against Starbucks"