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$7.3 Million Award For Discovering Lady Gaga

By Charles Toutant
November 30, 2014

A federal jury in Newark ordered Robert Fusari, a record producer credited with launching the career of Lady Gaga, to pay $7.3 million to a songwriter who claimed she brought the two together. Starland v. Fusari, 2010cv04930 (D.N.J.)

Wendy Starland claimed in her suit that Fusari broke a promise to give her a cut of revenues from the career of Lady Gaga, whose given name is Stefani Germanotta. Following a seven-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jose Linares, the jury granted Starland's request for 50 percent of the roughly $12 million that Fusari earned from Gaga's career. Starland was also awarded a one-time payment of $900,000, which represents half of the record and merchandising royalties Fusari is entitled to receive over the next nine years, as well as 50% of any funds Fusari receives as his cut of future record deals related to Gaga.

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