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Adam Lambert Broke 'American Idol' Rules, Lawsuit Claims

By Cynthia Hsu, Esq. on November 09, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Maybe it was just about time for him to face the music - and legal action. Adam Lambert is battling a new lawsuit: a company is alleging that the American Idol runner-up was ineligible for the Fox talent competition because he was already under an operating agreement with a recording company at the time.

This would violate American Idol's rules. The suit originates from a music company called Colwel Platinum Entertainment. They are in the process of releasing a new Lambert CD - which Lambert's attorney's pulled the plug on - dubbed "Beg For Mercy."

You might be wondering why a third-party music company is bringing a suit against Lambert alleging he wasn't eligible or the competition.

After all, if anybody's going to complain wouldn't it be Fox?

Not necessarily. Colwel Platinum is in a litigious mood because they say that Lambert signed a Music Services Agreement with their parent company before he auditioned for Idol in 2008.

The agreement allegedly spelled out that Lambert was agreeing to record music, and that the company would have the right to use his name, biography, and other personal information in order to advertise and promote the CD, according to Billboard. All this before he got famous from the TV competition.

Colwel Platinum says they had just finished putting the finishing touches on the album. They were releasing it to the public this year. Only they weren't met with rabid Amazon sales - they were met with takedown notices from Lambert's attorneys.

Now, the studio is suing the singer for misusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for sending the takedown notices for what it claims is rightfully their album to promote. And, they are seeking other forms of relief such as the right to promote and sell, and a declaration that the Music Services Agreement with Lambert was never rescinded.

Whether or not the lawsuit against Adam Lambert will be successful will probably depend on the wording of the contracts. The American Idol star may racking up some legal fees soon.

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