Music Sumo

LaBelle performing at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Celebration in July 2008.

Well known for her gorgeous voice, R&B singer Patti LaBelle will now apparently be well known for her temper too. A lawsuit filed this past Monday by Rosanna Monk and her husband Kevin states that she and her 18-month-old child were attacked by LaBelle in November 2010. It seems the whole event happened inside a Manhattan apartment house where LaBelle was staying while she starred in “Fela!” on Broadway.

Reportedly, the 18-month-old toddler was running around the building’s lobby when LaBelle, wearing a fur coat and big sunglasses, walked up behind Mrs. Monk and said something like, “‘What are you doing letting your kid run around like that?’

At that time, Mrs. Monk went to pick up her child when LaBelle went into a rage, screaming obscenities and flicking water on the two from a water bottle. The frightened toddler then proceeded to cry and got so upset that she vomited.

In an effort to leave the scene, Mrs. Monk and her daughter left the building and proceeded to walk to their car. However, along the way the mother said, “Look what you did to my daughter.” This then sent the Grammy award winning singer into another rage where she tried to punch the mother. LaBelle would have probably succeeded in hitting the mother had it not been for her own bodyguard stopping her.

Ms. Monk called the police at the time of the incident, but an arrest was not made at the time. She then mailed a letter to LaBelle’s management asking for an apology, but never received one.

Although the Monk’s realize that the damages are pretty minor overall, they would just like to see LaBelle take responsibility for her actions. They say that if they win their lawsuit all of the proceeds would be donated to a children’s cancer charity. Seems like a good way to teach their daughter and Patti LaBelle a lesson while also benefiting others at the same time.