Mariah Carey Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit with Her Former Manager Stella Bulochnikov
The legal battle between Mariah Carey and Stella Bulochnikov has come to an end.
The singer, 48, and her former manager have settled the sexual harassment lawsuit that was originally filed back in April, according to reports from Page Six.
“The parties [have] reached a mutually agreed resolution to this matter,” an attorney for Bulochnikov told the outlet.
Bulochnikov has agreed to “discontinue this action against Mariah Carey with prejudice, with each party to bear its own attorneys’ fees and costs,” according to court documents obtained by The Blast.
At this time, it is not clear whether the deal includes a financial settlement but the lawsuit sought unspecified damages, Page Six said.
Representatives for Carey and Bulochnikov did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
After working together for nearly three years, Carey and Bulochnikov split ways in November 2017 and released a joint statement at the time saying they remained “partners in a number of business ventures” and would “continue to support each other in those endeavors.”
However, in April, Bulochnikov’s lawyers filed a summons in New York court alleging breach of contract and violation of the U.S. Civil Rights Acts.
According to reports by The Blast and TMZ, Bulochnikov’s lawyers claim Carey sexually harassed her by often being naked in front of her, was struggling with substance abuse and owed her millions of dollars in unpaid commissions.
Shortly after the claims were made by her former business associate, Carey’s team fired back with another statement denying the allegations.
“Stella Bulochnikov was terminated from employment as Mariah’s manager due to failure to perform her job effectively and ill-serving her client. Stella was not under contract for employment,” Carey’s rep told PEOPLE in a statement. “She has been spreading false rumors to any media outlet that will publish them. We won’t respond to lies and threats.”
As her former staffer threatened legal action, Carey opened up exclusively to PEOPLE about her battle with bipolar disorder, which she was diagnosed with in 2001 after being hospitalized for a physical and mental breakdown.
The “We Belong Together” singer said she finally sought treatment recently after “the hardest couple of years I’ve been through” — years of professional upheaval, an E! reality show and romantic drama.
“Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me,” said Carey, who has since entered therapy and been taking medication for bipolar II disorder. “It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music.”
Source: People.com