Nicole Scherzinger sued by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin for ‘refusing to participate’ in the group’s reunion tour… despite previously ‘signing off’ on the venture

• Scherzinger, 43, was sued by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin, 60, on Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter
• The lawsuit alleges that Scherzinger threatened to quit the girl group’s upcoming reunion tour unless she got a majority share of the profits and complete creative control
• Scherzinger was the lead vocalist and occasional songwriter for the popular 2000s-era group
• Antin alleges that Scherzinger requested a 75 percent ownership stake in the tour after already agreeing to perform at a lower figure

Nicole Scherzinger is being sued over claims that she’s threatening to derail the upcoming Pussycat Dolls tour.

The group’s founder, Robin Antin, 60, filed a lawsuit on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court against the 43-year-old singer and actress, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Antin claims that Scherzinger is refusing to join the reunion unless she’s given a majority stake in the affair, despite previously agreeing to a smaller share.

Legal challenge: Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger, 43, is being sued by the group’s founder, Robin Antin, 60, over claims that she won’t perform on the group’s reunion tour without total control; Scherzinger seen in January 2020 in Beverly Hills

Scherzinger’s attorney hasn’t yet commented on Antin’s lawsuit. 

Antin, who’s best known as a choreographer, founded The Pussycat Dolls in 1995 as a burlesque troupe.

Following a suggestion from legendary record executive Jimmy Iovine, Antin took the group mainstream, installing Scherzinger as its lead singer in 2003.

Antin, through her attorney Richard Busch, alleges that she and Scherzinger settled on a deal for a Pussycat Dolls reunion back in 2019, though the ongoing coronavirus pandemic delayed its launch. 

The original agreement: Antin, the choreographer who founded the group, claims Scherzinger originally agreed to a reunion in 2019 with a 49 percent stake; seen in 2019 in Studio City

Reversal: But now Antin claims that Scherzinger wants a 75 percent stake and full control of the group, or she’ll refuse to perform on the tour she allegedly agreed to join; Scherzinger seen with The Pussycat Dolls in March 2020

In her filing, the founder claims that the two came to an agreement for the tour and new Pussycat Dolls ventures in which Scherzinger would get a 49 percent stake.

Antin says this was decided via a short-term agreement that she’s calling a Memorandum of Understanding. 

According to the lawsuit, Scherzinger initially promoted the tour prior to its pandemic delay.

However, Antin claims she ‘now refuses to participate in the tour’ and has ‘demanded to renegotiate the terms of the MOU.’ 

The bill: The filing adds that the group is already on the hook for $600,000 that has to be paid back to Live Nation after the promoter already invested in the tour; Scherzinger and the group seen in February 2020

Scherzinger allegedly is requesting a 75 percent stake in the tour and future ventures, a significant boost from the original amount.

That would also give her control of all decisions related to the group. Without that, Antin says that Scherzinger will walk away from the tour.  

The filing adds that the group is already on the hook for $600,000 that Live Nation put up prior to the tour, which the concert promoter now wants to be paid back amid delays in the tour.

Among the suit’s claims is one of anticipatory breach of contract, an uncommon complaint for when one party refuses to fulfill an agreed-upon contract prior to the date at which it was set to be fulfilled. 

The lawsuit also includes other contract claims and one of fiduciary duty. 

The big time: Scherzinger rose to fame with The Pussycat Dolls in the 2000s. The group released two hit albums before disbanding in 2010; seen in February 2020 in London

Although Scherzinger participated in amateur theater early in her life and had some success in the 1990s and early 2000s as a singer and songwriter, she didn’t achieve mainstream success until she fronted The Pussycat Dolls.

The group released two albums, 2005’s PCD, which reached the top five on the Billboard 200 album charts, and 2008’s Doll Domination, which topped out at number four.

The group’s final original tour was in 2009, and it disbanded the following year, only reuniting in 2019 when the reunion tour and a potential third album were announced. 

Since her time in the group, Scherzinger has expanded into acting with roles in Moana and Men In Black 3, among other films.

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