La Bella Lawsuit

Rap diva Lil’ Kim is being sued by two men who claim she stiffed them on fees for song writing and performance services stemming from her 2003 album, La Bella Mafia, which sold more than 1 million copies.

The lawsuit filed in Manhattan’s New York Supreme Court by Anthony Jeffries and Vincent Hart seeks $100,000 per plaintiff.

Jeffries and Hart claim they co-wrote three songs and performed on a fourth, and were promised $15,000 for performing and $10,000 plus royalties for each song they co-wrote. The two also allege they were to be paid $400 plus per diem expenses for concert appearances and promotional events. They appeared at more than 30 concerts and promotions but were only paid for one, according to court papers.

The lawsuit says Lil’ Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, only gave each man a piece of jewelry she said was worth $10,000. Shortly afterward, she allegedly demanded that Jeffries and Hart return the gems and threatened physical violence if they didn’t.

Jones’ lawyer, L. Londell McMillan, denied the allegations, saying the men were just trying to cash in on his client’s notoriety from her conviction on lying to a grand jury about a Manhattan radio station shootout.

“They were paid,” he said. “They were paid by Atlantic Records. They had a falling out and now they’ve filed a frivolous and malicious lawsuit to embarrass her.”

Meanwhile, Jones is reportedly lobbying her fans via her Web site to petition a New York judge for leniency when she is sentenced June 24th for her conviction on three counts of perjury and one count of conspiracy.

The charges carry a maximum of five years each, but Jones is expected to get far less than 20 years as a first-time offender.