Suit Update..

[From Associated Press]

Whitney Houston's father to drop lawsuit if she repays him and gets her "act together"
Fri Dec 6, 3:04 PM ET

LOS ANGELES - Whitney Houston's 82-year-old father told a syndicated television show from his hospital bed that he would dismiss a $100 million lawsuit against his daughter if she pays him money he says she owes him and gets her "act together."

The two-part interview with John Houston on "Celebrity Justice" was broadcast Wednesday and Thursday, while a separate prime-time interview with his daughter aired Wednesday night on ABC TV.

John Houston's entertainment company filed a lawsuit in New Jersey in September, claiming his daughter failed to pay for work done negotiating a $100 million contract with Arista Records. The lawsuit also claims lawyers from Newark, New Jersey-based John Houston Entertainment LLC helped have charges dropped against Houston in 2000 after security guards at a Hawaii airport seized a handbag containing a small amount of marijuana.

In her ABC interview, the 39-year-old singer acknowledged having abused drugs in the past, including alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and pills.

"I never thought about suing my daughter. I never thought about it that way," John Houston said. "I thought about suing the corporation that belongs to Whitney and she happened to be right in the middle of it."

He also addressed his daughter directly during the nearly hourlong interview, saying, "You get your act together, honey, and you pay me the money that you owe me. If you do that, you haven't got a lawsuit."

NEWSFILE: 6 DECEMBER 2002