Judge dismisses $100 million lawsuit against Whitney Houston

<p>A judge has dismissed a $100 million breach of contract lawsuit filed against Whitney Houston by an entertainment company that her late father had founded.</p><p>Superior Court Judge Francine Schott found that Kevin Skinner, who claims to be the current owner of John Houston Entertainment, had refused to provide information to the pop diva's attorney. Schott dismissed the suit April 5, but her ruling was not made public until Tuesday.</p><p>John Houston, who died in February 2003, filed the lawsuit in September 2002 in Essex County, claiming his daughter failed to pay his company for representing her interests beginning in the fall of 2000. The suit said the singer was in financial straits and facing marijuana possession charges in Hawaii until her father's company stepped in.</p><p>Skinner continued the suit after John Houston's death, but Bryan Blaney, Whitney Houston's attorney, said Skinner refused to sit for a deposition. Blaney also questioned whether Skinner was John Houston's business partner, and said he would not turn over documents that proved his claims or showed that he had legal standing to continue the suit.</p><p>Blaney also said John Houston Entertainment is no longer a viable business and that Houston's estate had no interest in pursuing the suit.</p><p>Skinner told The Star-Ledger of Newark that he withdrew the suit to avoid harming Whitney Houston, who recently entered a drug rehabilitation facility. He declined further comment after being told that court records made it clear the suit had been dismissed.</p><p>Whitney Houston, a Grammy Award winner, has been married to R&B singer Bobby Brown since 1992. The couple, who have a 10-year-old daughter, own a home in Mendham Township.</p><p>___</p><p>Information from: The Star-Ledger of Newark</p>

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