Patti LaBelle Sued for Allegedly Throwing Water at Baby

Did Patti LaBelle throw a tantrum over a baby girl? That's the accusation the R&B legend will have to face in court, now that she's being sued by a New York City couple for throwing water and screaming at their 18-month-old daughter.

According to ABCNews.com, a lawsuit filed Monday by Kevin and Roseanna Monk claims that LaBelle screamed at Roseanna Monk while her daughter walked around the lobby of the Donald Trump-owned apartment building where they all lived in November 2010. The Monks have lived there for more than two years. LaBelle stayed in the building last year while performing in the Broadway musical Fela!

The Monk’s lawyer, Samuel L. Davis, claims that LaBelle approached Monk, who was gathering the family’s luggage for a trip, and said, “‘Do you know what your daughter is doing?’ kind of implying that she was a bad mother.”

“My client responded as most people would,” he said. “‘Lady, mind your own business.’”

Then, Davis said, “Patti LaBelle lost it. We have no idea what flew her into this rage.”

According to Davis, the singer “started cursing and screaming” and flung water from a bottle she was holding at Roseanna Monk and her daughter. “It was enough that the mother had to change her shirt and the baby’s shirt,” Davis said. “The baby’s never been exposed to anything like that before. She started crying violently. She started throwing up.”


“My client went outside, and on the way to her car, she said ‘Look what you did to my daughter. Look what you did,’” Davis said. “That’s when Patti lost it and she lunged at her, tried to punch her and had to be restrained by her entourage. The bodyguard had to get out and drag Patti into the car.”

Roseanna Monk reported the incident to police, but no arrests were made. She then contacted LaBelle’s management asking for an apology. After not hearing back, she decided to sue for unspecified damages.

“They’re not major damages,” Davis said. “They’re more punitive than anything. We agreed that the proceeds of the case are going to a children’s charity.”

“The baby had a hard time with this,” he went on. “She started not sleeping through the night. She had issues with loud noises and strangers.”

This isn't the first allegation of violence hurled at LaBelle. In June, a U.S. Military cadet sued LaBelle over an incident that took place with her bodyguards in the Houston Airport. The cadet claims he was attacked unprovoked by LaBelle's entourage, and LaBelle countersued the serviceman, saying he tried to get into her limousine and was drunk. That case remains open, doubling LaBelle's legal troubles.

(Photo: Alex Wong/GettyImages)