Former TLC Manager Sues Viacom

Perri “Pebbles” Reid, former manager of R&B group TLC, filed a defamation lawsuit against Viacom Inc., claiming a documentary on the group broadcast on affiliate VH1 in October made her look “unethical and dishonest.”

Photo: Adam Nadel, File/AP
Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes outside Radio City Music Hall before the start of the 12th Annual MTV VMAs.

The lawsuit, filed April 28 in Atlanta federal court, seeks $10 million in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages.

It also asks a judge to force Viacom to retract “Crazysexycool: The TLC Story” and its promotional materials and stop any further publication related to the two-hour film.

“The movie told a story of Ms. Reid as a conniving and dishonest businesswoman who hoodwinked three innocent girls and exploited their talent for her own personal gain and in the process negatively influenced their personal lives and deprived them of fair compensation,” the suit alleges.

The suit also claims that Reid’s business reputation has been damaged by Viacom’s lack of “journalistic and literary integrity” by publishing false and defamatory information.