Crime & Safety
Judge Dismisses Arrest Warrant Against Grammy Winner Anita Baker
The lawsuit over a $15,000 bill a contractor claims Baker owes for work on her Grosse Pointe home will continue in April. The singer is "thrilled and eager" to present her side of the story, her attorney says.
An arrest warrant that had been issued against Grammy Award-winning singer Anita Baker has been dismissed after he attorney said she wasn’t aware that she had been sued.
Ray Smith Painting and Decorating had claimed that Baker didn’t pay thousands of dollars for work he had done inside her Grosse Pointe home. According to a WDIV-TV (Channel 4) report, a judge dismissed the bench warrant after Baker’s attorney, Jamal Hamood, said his client paid $60,000 for the work.
The dispute between Baker and the contractor was for $15,000 Baker refused to pay because of shoddy workmanship. The contractor filed a lawsuit in 2010 and then dismissed it, leading Baker to think the matter had been settled, her attorney told the television station.
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The lawsuit was refiled four months later, but Baker was never notified or served with papers, her attorney said.
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Edward Ewell dismissed the warrant, but said the lawsuit against Banker will continue.
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A hearing is scheduled for April. Harwood said his client is “thrilled and eager to have an opportunity to explain her side of things in court.”
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