Jos' Feliciano Sues to Rescind Management Deal

International recording artist Jos' Feliciano is suing his manager and asking a Broward County, FL, circuit judge to rescind their contract. Feliciano v. Sciacca, CACE13013607. Manager Roy Sciacca of Coral Springs was given verbal notice of his firing before the lawsuit was filed in June, said Feliciano's attorney, John F. Bradley of Bradley Legal Group in Fort Lauderdale.

The fraudulent inducement complaint states Sciacca contacted Feliciano last June, and they signed a management contract on Aug. 1. The 67-year-old singer is known for his iconic recordings of “Feliz Navidad” and The Doors' hit “Light My Fire.”

Sciacca, owner of MBM Entertainment Inc., purportedly described himself as an entertainment industry mogul who had produced more than 400 live concert events for popular artists including Alice Cooper, Chicago, Don Henley, Janet Jackson, Lee Ann Womack, Kiss and Ricky Martin. He allegedly assured Feliciano that he could book him on a major world tour as well as on numerous high-profile television specials on English and Spanish-language broadcast networks.

“Roy's lack of experience and ability became evident pretty darn quickly,” Bradley said. “In practical terms, you can't have somebody, even with good intentions, step in as manager of a recording artist with a worldwide business base and not notice ability. If you can do the job, that puts you in a pretty small club.”

Sciacca's intentions, however, weren't good, the complaint alleges. It claims that within a few weeks, he encouraged Feliciano to fire his predecessor when a dispute arose with the former manager about commissions. Feliciano, who lives in Connecticut, initially rejected Sciacca's contract and asked for changes.

Meanwhile, the effect of the former manager's termination caused Feliciano to stop receiving funds due him. He was getting into financial hardship, the complaint said. “Sciacca knew of and used this information as part of his encouragement to induce ' Feliciano into immediately signing the MBM agreement,” the complaint states.

Feliciano signed a contract he was led to believe was to his liking, the lawsuit alleges. “Jos' could end it at any time, and the manager got paid for the deals the manager made while he was manager. It's pretty simple: 'If that's what we're dealing with, I'll do it.'” Bradley said. “Sciacca's answer was, 'Yes, that's what we'll do.'”

However, Sciacca never made requested changes, Feliciano claims. After signing the contract, Feliciano learned Sciacca did not have the credits he claimed or the industry contacts needed to fulfill his promises.

Adolfo Pesquera is a Staff Writer for the Daily Business Review, an ALM affiliate publication of Entertainment Law & Finance.

International recording artist Jos' Feliciano is suing his manager and asking a Broward County, FL, circuit judge to rescind their contract. Feliciano v. Sciacca, CACE13013607. Manager Roy Sciacca of Coral Springs was given verbal notice of his firing before the lawsuit was filed in June, said Feliciano's attorney, John F. Bradley of Bradley Legal Group in Fort Lauderdale.

The fraudulent inducement complaint states Sciacca contacted Feliciano last June, and they signed a management contract on Aug. 1. The 67-year-old singer is known for his iconic recordings of “Feliz Navidad” and The Doors' hit “Light My Fire.”

Sciacca, owner of MBM Entertainment Inc., purportedly described himself as an entertainment industry mogul who had produced more than 400 live concert events for popular artists including Alice Cooper, Chicago, Don Henley, Janet Jackson, Lee Ann Womack, Kiss and Ricky Martin. He allegedly assured Feliciano that he could book him on a major world tour as well as on numerous high-profile television specials on English and Spanish-language broadcast networks.

“Roy's lack of experience and ability became evident pretty darn quickly,” Bradley said. “In practical terms, you can't have somebody, even with good intentions, step in as manager of a recording artist with a worldwide business base and not notice ability. If you can do the job, that puts you in a pretty small club.”

Sciacca's intentions, however, weren't good, the complaint alleges. It claims that within a few weeks, he encouraged Feliciano to fire his predecessor when a dispute arose with the former manager about commissions. Feliciano, who lives in Connecticut, initially rejected Sciacca's contract and asked for changes.

Meanwhile, the effect of the former manager's termination caused Feliciano to stop receiving funds due him. He was getting into financial hardship, the complaint said. “Sciacca knew of and used this information as part of his encouragement to induce ' Feliciano into immediately signing the MBM agreement,” the complaint states.

Feliciano signed a contract he was led to believe was to his liking, the lawsuit alleges. “Jos' could end it at any time, and the manager got paid for the deals the manager made while he was manager. It's pretty simple: 'If that's what we're dealing with, I'll do it.'” Bradley said. “Sciacca's answer was, 'Yes, that's what we'll do.'”

However, Sciacca never made requested changes, Feliciano claims. After signing the contract, Feliciano learned Sciacca did not have the credits he claimed or the industry contacts needed to fulfill his promises.

Adolfo Pesquera is a Staff Writer for the Daily Business Review, an ALM affiliate publication of Entertainment Law & Finance.