An arrest warrant was issued for Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Anita Baker for failure to appear in court in a civil lawsuit filed against her by a contractor who claimed the singer had failed to pay an outstanding bill.
"I've never been in trouble with the law. I'm terrified,"
Baker told TMZ.com.
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The eight-time Grammy Award-winning singer, who has five platinum albums and one gold album under her belt, claimed to have no knowledge of the hearing and said she wasn't even aware that the case had been filed.
"There's no justice in the justice system," Baker added.
The lawsuit involves a $15,000 debt owed to Ray Smith Painting and Decorating, which in 2009 repaired the outside of Baker's home after it was damaged by a storm. Baker was billed $75,000 for the job, of which he has paid $60,000 to date, TMZ reported.
Baker claimed the contractors left her home without completing the job, forcing the 56-year-old singer to climb up a ladder and spackle part of her house herself after the contractors left.
According to TMZ, the contractor claimed to have put the court notice on the singer's door. However, Baker maintains she never saw it, as she was on tour at the time, and she doesn’t believe it was ever placed there to begin with.
On Friday, Baker's attorney, Jamal Hamood, filed a motion to have the warrant lifted and the default judgment overturned following her
failure to appear in court, the Daily Mail reported.
Regarding the outstanding debt of $15,000, Daniel Gerow, the contractor's attorney,
told ClickOnDetroit.com, "We certainly would have liked to resolve it before now. We just want to try to get my client his money."
"We're not trying to give her any hard time or anything unnecessary," Gerow added. "We just would like to collect the money for my client. He's owed the money, and that could end it all right then."
Prior to her current legal issue, Baker reportedly nearly faced jail time when a judge threatened to lock her up in 2010 after she had allegedly failed to sign documents in her divorce proceedings, ClickOnDetroit.com noted. Baker was reportedly able to reach a last-minute agreement to resolve the issue.
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