George Clinton Accused Of Making Parliament-Funkadelic Bandmates Drug Addicts In Bernie Worrell Estate Lawsuit
Worrell's widow is suing Clinton.
In a lawsuit against George Clinton, the estate of the late George "Bernie" Worrell Jr. is claiming that Worrell and Clinton had a deal on royalties they agreed on back in 1976, as well as accusing the Parliament-Funkadelic frontman of turning his bandmates into drug addicts.
In a report from The Blast, Worrell's widow claimed that Clinton manipulated his bandmates by giving them drugs in place of money, alleging that he retained the majority of money received from both royalties and live performances. The estate is suing for an unspecified amount of damages.
"Clinton has a history of fraud, deceit, and delinquency when it comes to the performance of contracts that he has entered into on behalf of himself or his companies," the widow said in the suit.
"Apparently, Clinton did this despite many band members not wanting drugs and needing money to provide for their families. Drug use was encouraged and pushed by Clinton," the widow claimed elsewhere in the suit, referring to the Parliament-Funkadelic documentary Tear the Roof Off: The Untold Story of Parliament Funkadelic. In it, some band members (Worrell didn't participate in the documentary and the allegations of drug issues in the lawsuit don't pertain to him) accused Clinton of providing them with drugs and then deducting the amount from their paychecks.
"Another band member Grady Thomas recounts how, '[Clinton] had a long fingernail. And he would go around and…, 'hey man, here. Have some,'" the widow said.
"Clinton's drug culture caused many of the band members to become addicts who had to seek treatment for their addiction later in life," the widow also said in the suit, adding that "members of the band members never recovered and drug addiction cost them their lives. Clinton manipulated the band members with drugs and promises which were never kept."
Clinton is currently on his final tour with Parliament-Funkadelic before he retires.
Source: The Blast