Aaliyah’s uncle and former manager, Barry Hankerson, has accused his own son, Jomo Hankerson, of partly contributing to circumstances surrounding the 2001 plane crash that killed the R&B star and eight others.
According to TMZ, the allegation emerged in court documents. These documents are connected to an ongoing legal battle between Jomo, his father and Blackground Records. The dispute is over money and rights to music belonging to Aaliyah and other artistes.
Barry blames son over Aaliyah’s travel plans
Barry alleged that Jomo, who is Aaliyah’s cousin, had been paid to coordinate travel arrangements for the singer and her team. This was during a music video shoot in the Bahamas.
He claimed his son “failed in his responsibility” to properly handle those arrangements before Aaliyah and members of her entourage boarded the aircraft. This aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on August 25, 2001.
Barry went further, arguing that the tragedy “may have been avoided had [Jomo] followed through on his compensated task of travel coordination.”
Aaliyah, 22, had just finished filming the music video for “Rock the Boat” when the Cessna 402B carrying her and eight others crashed. The crash happened shortly after leaving Marsh Harbour Airport in the Bahamas.
Investigations into the crash later found that the aircraft was significantly overloaded and improperly balanced. The pilot was also found to have cocaine and alcohol in his system.
Family dispute centres on music rights
Barry’s allegation surfaced as part of a wider legal dispute between father and son.
Jomo has accused Barry and Blackground Records of breaching a settlement involving recording masters and music publishing rights. These rights are connected to Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX and Timbaland.
He claims he is entitled to 12 per cent of money generated from the music assets. Additionally, he alleges that his father used the record company to hide revenue. He also claims it was used to create unrelated expenses to reduce what he was owed.
Jomo is seeking more than $1.2 million in damages.
Barry denies financial allegations
Barry has denied wrongdoing. In addition, he argues that the settlement at the centre of the lawsuit is invalid because it was allegedly obtained through fraud.
He also alleged that Jomo previously threatened to release unreleased Aaliyah recordings if his financial demands were not met.
Jomo has denied the allegations against him.
The legal dispute remains ongoing, with the fresh claims reopening painful questions surrounding Aaliyah’s death. These questions persist more than two decades after the crash.
