Lawsuit, Lawsuit, Lawsuit

New York-based publisher Simon and Schuster last week filed lawsuits against rival rappers Lil Kim and Foxy Brown. The company claims the two MCs failed to make good on memoir book deals, for which they were both paid advances, according the Billboard.com. The lawsuits, filed July 23 in New York, seek return of the money.

Brown, born Inga Marchand, was reportedly paid $75,000 in 2005 to deliver an autobiography called "Broken Silence" by February 2006; while Lil' Kim, real name Kimberly Denise Jones, was paid $40,000 in 2003 for a novel that was due June 2004. Coincidentally, both women ended up in prison shortly after signing their deals.

Foxy Brown’s attorney, Laura Dilimetin, has spoken out for her client, claiming that Simon and Schuster agreed to allow Foxy to put the project on hold because of her legal woes and a health issue took precendence in the rapper's life. Brown was diagnosed with sudden severe hearing loss the same year she sign her book deal.

"With Simon and Schuster's blessings, Foxy Brown underwent extensive surgical procedures and a lengthy recovery time, fighting to restore her hearing," Dilimetin told AllHipHop in a statement.

After Foxy completed her treatments, Dilmetin says it was the publisher that wanted out of the deal. “Simon and Schuster decided not to go forward with the project," the attorney claimed.

"Many attempts were made by Foxy Brown's agents to resurrect the deal, to no avail," she added. Dilmetin also states that the news of the lawsuit has hurt the entertainer's chances of get a deal with another publisher.