Dismissed...

[Associated Press Report]

Lawsuit Against Whitney Houston Dismissed

A judge has dismissed a $100 million breach of contract lawsuit filed against Whitney Houston by an entertainment company that her late father founded. Superior Court Judge Francine Schott found that Kevin Skinner, who claims to be the current owner of John Houston Entertainment, had refused to provide information to the pop diva's attorney.

Schott dismissed the lawsuit April 5, but her ruling wasn't made public until Tuesday.

John Houston, who died in February 2003, filed the lawsuit in September 2002 in Essex County, claiming his daughter failed to pay his company for representing her interests beginning in fall 2000. The lawsuit said the singer was in financial trouble and facing marijuana possession charges in Hawaii until her father's company stepped in.

Skinner continued the lawsuit after John Houston's death, but Bryan Blaney, Whitney Houston's attorney, said Skinner refused to sit for a deposition. Blaney also questioned whether Skinner was John Houston's business partner and said he wouldn't turn over documents that proved his claims or showed that he had legal standing to continue the lawsuit.

Blaney also said John Houston Entertainment is no longer a viable business and that Houston's estate had no interest in pursuing the lawsuit.

Skinner told The Star-Ledger of Newark (N.J.) that he withdrew the lawsuit to avoid harming Whitney Houston, who recently entered a drug rehabilitation center. He declined further comment after being told that court records made it clear the lawsuit had been dismissed.

NEWSFILE: 15 APRIL 2004