Titus Day trial: New details on Guy Sebastian's meeting with former manager as bitter dispute unfolded
Guy Sebastian's former manager claimed the pop star went on a 'monologue' about the manager's failures as the pair's relationship deteriorated into a bitter dispute, a court was told.
Titus Emanuel Day is standing trial for allegedly embezzling $640,000 of Sebastian's royalties and performance fees, including the alleged failure to remit performance fees for his work supporting Taylor Swift on her 2013 Red tour of Australia and other corporate gigs and performances.
Mr Day has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant and one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception.
He has denied doing anything fraudulent or dishonest.
Sebastian moved over to Mr Day's management company 6 Degrees three years after winning Australian Idol, having worked with him previously at Mr Day's former agency, 22 Management: no formal agreement was signed at 6 Degrees, but the court was told their agreement was based on Sebastian's former arrangement with 22 Management.
The pair, once so close Sebastian considered them to be 'a family of sorts', experienced a 'really big shift' in their relationship by 2016, with Sebastian claiming documents, statements and invoices 'were not being sent anymore'.
Having 'grievances' with his former manager, the court was told Sebastian met with Mr Day at a cafe towards the end of 2017.
Mr Day's barrister, Thomas Woods, on Monday suggested Sebastian had spoken 'more or less continuously for half an hour' during the meeting, prompting Mr Day to say words to the effect of 'I'm willing to discuss the issues, but I'm not willing to sit here and listen to a monologue from you about all my failures'.
'I do not recall that, no,' Sebastian replied.
The Battle Scars singer also denied suggestions he'd agreed to pay Mr Day commissions he was asking for if he could show they were payable as per his former agreement with 22 Management by way of a 'handshake agreement' at the 2017 meeting.
'Definitely not, no — you couldn't come up with a more completely opposite version of what happened in that meeting,' Sebastian said.
'The purpose of that meeting was I was actually trying to avoid being negative about it and trying to come to some kind of peaceful ending to everything where Titus would provide some accounting for what was missing.'
The court was told Mr Day was pushing for commissions to be paid to him after the pair parted ways professionally, however Sebastian and his lawyer at the time maintained there were no post-term commission arrangements.
Sebastian later told the court he was happy to pay commission for anything Mr Day had worked on.Mr Woods earlier told the court that there would be 'no dispute' that on some occasions his client should have transferred money onto Sebastian 'but did not'.
'For many of the charges, the real question is not going to be whether my client failed to transfer the money to Sebastian but whether his failure to do that was criminal,' Mr Woods said.
Sebastian told Mr Day he was leaving his management in 2017, the court was previously told.
Sebastian launched Federal Court proceedings against Mr Day the following year. He in turn filed a counterclaim.
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West Australian
a day ago
- West Australian
Pop star Guy Sebastian's email revealed in Titus Day trial
Guy Sebastian personally negotiated a release from his contract to join manager Titus Day's new company in 2009 before their relationship ultimately soured, a court has been told. Mr Day is standing trial in the NSW District Court accused of embezzling more than $600,000 from the Aussie pop star. It's alleged that Mr Day failed to pay Mr Sebastian performance fees and royalties that were collected by his 6 Degrees talent agency, including $187,000 for performance fees when the Australian Idol winner supported Taylor Swift on her 2013 tour of Australia. Mr Day has denied doing anything dishonest or fraudulent and is fighting the allegations. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant and one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. The court has been told that Mr Sebastian first became involved with Mr Day when he signed with the 22 Management company early in his career. At the time, Mr Day worked for 22 Management, which was owned by Sean Anderson. Then, in early 2009, Mr Day told Mr Anderson that he was looking to form his own company, the court was told on Wednesday. 'He indicated to me that he was looking for something a little bit more than an employee role and whether I was open to a partnership or bringing him in as a partner in the business,' Mr Anderson told the jury on Wednesday. 'I indicated I wasn't quite ready to do that and so he said he was looking to start his own business. And I encouraged him to do it.' And when Mr Day formed 6 Degrees and went out on his own, Mr Anderson said Mr Sebastian followed Mr Day because of their close relationship. 'Guy indicated he had formed a great relationship with Titus and he wanted to follow Titus, which I expected would happen,' Mr Anderson said. 'I didn't have anyone in the business that had the music skills that Titus had, so I then negotiated a release from my contract with Guy and he left shortly after.' The court was told that 22 Management had a written contract with Mr Sebastian, but Mr Anderson had since not been able to find a copy. The court was told that Mr Sebastian's contract with 22 Management was due to expire in April 2010; however, he negotiated a release to join Mr Day when he went out on his own to found 6 Degrees. The jury on Wednesday heard details of a mid-2009 email exchange between Mr Anderson and Mr Sebastian as they negotiated the terms of the singer's exit from his managerial contract. Initially, Mr Anderson proposed that 22 Management be given a percentage of Mr Sebastian's gross income for the next two years – 10 per cent on the first year and 5 per cent on the following year. However, Mr Day replied saying that 22 Management was only entitled to 20 per cent of all gross income up until April 2010 and after that a 'trailing commission' on any work done that was negotiated by Mr Anderson's business. The court was told that 'trailing commissions' were negotiated by managers to cover them for their investment in young and up-and-coming performers in the event they become successful and later leave to join new management. It prompted Mr Anderson to propose new terms, including a 15 per cent split to 22 Management and a 5 per cent split to 6 Degrees as well as trailing commissions. 'Titus should be doing somersaults with this outcome, if I was able to go out on my own and take the marquee client with me and earn commissions from day one, I'd be buying lottery tickets,' Mr Anderson wrote to Mr Sebastian in an email, the court was told. Mr Anderson also asked Mr Sebastian to perform at his 40th birthday free of charge, which he agreed to do as part of their amicable split, the court was told. The terms of Mr Sebastian's contract with 22 Management have been a key part of the trial. During his evidence, Mr Sebastian was grilled by Mr Day's defence about his deal with Mr Day in the early days of his contract. Mr Day's barrister Thomas Woods suggested to Mr Sebastian that he had agreed to 'look after' Mr Day down the track 'by compensating him for the lost commission during this early period' in 2009 when he was only earning 5 per cent. Mr Sebastian, during his evidence to the court last week, denied the assertion. '(Mr Day) wanted more than 5 per cent for that period but couldn't get it because of your arrangement with (22 Management) – you would look after him down the track when you were in a stronger financial position, and that was then what you did. That's what I'm suggesting to you,' Mr Woods said. 'Firstly, that's completely false … their agreement was a 15-5 agreement, and that was between them,' Mr Sebastian replied at the time. 'The concept that in 2014, that where I was already paying a lot of commission to Titus … that seems really ridiculous to me.' The trial continues.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Guy's email revealed in manager trial
Guy Sebastian personally negotiated a release from his contract to join manager Titus Day's new company in 2009 before their relationship ultimately soured, a court has been told. Mr Day is standing trial in the NSW District Court accused of embezzling more than $600,000 from the Aussie pop star. It's alleged that Mr Day failed to pay Mr Sebastian performance fees and royalties that were collected by his 6 Degrees talent agency, including $187,000 for performance fees when the Australian Idol winner supported Taylor Swift on her 2013 tour of Australia. Mr Day has denied doing anything dishonest or fraudulent and is fighting the allegations. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant and one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. The court has been told that Mr Sebastian first became involved with Mr Day when he signed with the 22 Management company early in his career. At the time, Mr Day worked for 22 Management, which was owned by Sean Anderson. Titus Day is standing trial in the NSW District Court. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia Then, in early 2009, Mr Day told Mr Anderson that he was looking to form his own company, the court was told on Wednesday. 'He indicated to me that he was looking for something a little bit more than an employee role and whether I was open to a partnership or bringing him in as a partner in the business,' Mr Anderson told the jury on Wednesday. 'I indicated I wasn't quite ready to do that and so he said he was looking to start his own business. And I encouraged him to do it.' And when Mr Day formed 6 Degrees and went out on his own, Mr Anderson said Mr Sebastian followed Mr Day because of their close relationship. 'Guy indicated he had formed a great relationship with Titus and he wanted to follow Titus, which I expected would happen,' Mr Anderson said. 'I didn't have anyone in the business that had the music skills that Titus had, so I then negotiated a release from my contract with Guy and he left shortly after.' Pop star Guy Sebastian is suing Mr Day. NewsWire/Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia The court was told that 22 Management had a written contract with Mr Sebastian, but Mr Anderson had since not been able to find a copy. The court was told that Mr Sebastian's contract with 22 Management was due to expire in April 2010; however, he negotiated a release to join Mr Day when he went out on his own to found 6 Degrees. The jury on Wednesday heard details of a mid-2009 email exchange between Mr Anderson and Mr Sebastian as they negotiated the terms of the singer's exit from his managerial contract. Initially, Mr Anderson proposed that 22 Management be given a percentage of Mr Sebastian's gross income for the next two years – 10 per cent on the first year and 5 per cent on the following year. However, Mr Day replied saying that 22 Management was only entitled to 20 per cent of all gross income up until April 2010 and after that a 'trailing commission' on any work done that was negotiated by Mr Anderson's business. The court was told that 'trailing commissions' were negotiated by managers to cover them for their investment in young and up-and-coming performers in the event they become successful and later leave to join new management. It prompted Mr Anderson to propose new terms, including a 15 per cent split to 22 Management and a 5 per cent split to 6 Degrees as well as trailing commissions. Sean Anderson, the chief executive of Mr Sebastian's former management company 22 Management. Christian Gilles / NewsWire. Credit: News Corp Australia 'Titus should be doing somersaults with this outcome, if I was able to go out on my own and take the marquee client with me and earn commissions from day one, I'd be buying lottery tickets,' Mr Anderson wrote to Mr Sebastian in an email, the court was told. Mr Anderson also asked Mr Sebastian to perform at his 40th birthday free of charge, which he agreed to do as part of their amicable split, the court was told. The terms of Mr Sebastian's contract with 22 Management have been a key part of the trial. During his evidence, Mr Sebastian was grilled by Mr Day's defence about his deal with Mr Day in the early days of his contract. Mr Day's barrister Thomas Woods suggested to Mr Sebastian that he had agreed to 'look after' Mr Day down the track 'by compensating him for the lost commission during this early period' in 2009 when he was only earning 5 per cent. Mr Sebastian, during his evidence to the court last week, denied the assertion. '(Mr Day) wanted more than 5 per cent for that period but couldn't get it because of your arrangement with (22 Management) – you would look after him down the track when you were in a stronger financial position, and that was then what you did. That's what I'm suggesting to you,' Mr Woods said. 'Firstly, that's completely false … their agreement was a 15-5 agreement, and that was between them,' Mr Sebastian replied at the time. 'The concept that in 2014, that where I was already paying a lot of commission to Titus … that seems really ridiculous to me.' The trial continues.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Pop star Guy Sebastian's email revealed in Titus Day trial
Guy Sebastian personally negotiated a release from his contract to join manager Titus Day's new company in 2009 before their relationship ultimately soured, a court has been told. Mr Day is standing trial in the NSW District Court accused of embezzling more than $600,000 from the Aussie pop star. It's alleged that Mr Day failed to pay Mr Sebastian performance fees and royalties that were collected by his 6 Degrees talent agency, including $187,000 for performance fees when the Australian Idol winner supported Taylor Swift on her 2013 tour of Australia. Mr Day has denied doing anything dishonest or fraudulent and is fighting the allegations. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant and one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. The court has been told that Mr Sebastian first became involved with Mr Day when he signed with the 22 Management company early in his career. At the time, Mr Day worked for 22 Management, which was owned by Sean Anderson. Then, in early 2009, Mr Day told Mr Anderson that he was looking to form his own company, the court was told on Wednesday. 'He indicated to me that he was looking for something a little bit more than an employee role and whether I was open to a partnership or bringing him in as a partner in the business,' Mr Anderson told the jury on Wednesday. 'I indicated I wasn't quite ready to do that and so he said he was looking to start his own business. And I encouraged him to do it.' And when Mr Day formed 6 Degrees and went out on his own, Mr Anderson said Mr Sebastian followed Mr Day because of their close relationship. 'Guy indicated he had formed a great relationship with Titus and he wanted to follow Titus, which I expected would happen,' Mr Anderson said. 'I didn't have anyone in the business that had the music skills that Titus had, so I then negotiated a release from my contract with Guy and he left shortly after.' The court was told that 22 Management had a written contract with Mr Sebastian, but Mr Anderson had since not been able to find a copy. The court was told that Mr Sebastian's contract with 22 Management was due to expire in April 2010; however, he negotiated a release to join Mr Day when he went out on his own to found 6 Degrees. The jury on Wednesday heard details of a mid-2009 email exchange between Mr Anderson and Mr Sebastian as they negotiated the terms of the singer's exit from his managerial contract. Initially, Mr Anderson proposed that 22 Management be given a percentage of Mr Sebastian's gross income for the next two years – 10 per cent on the first year and 5 per cent on the following year. However, Mr Day replied saying that 22 Management was only entitled to 20 per cent of all gross income up until April 2010 and after that a 'trailing commission' on any work done that was negotiated by Mr Anderson's business. The court was told that 'trailing commissions' were negotiated by managers to cover them for their investment in young and up-and-coming performers in the event they become successful and later leave to join new management. It prompted Mr Anderson to propose new terms, including a 15 per cent split to 22 Management and a 5 per cent split to 6 Degrees as well as trailing commissions. 'Titus should be doing somersaults with this outcome, if I was able to go out on my own and take the marquee client with me and earn commissions from day one, I'd be buying lottery tickets,' Mr Anderson wrote to Mr Sebastian in an email, the court was told. Mr Anderson also asked Mr Sebastian to perform at his 40th birthday free of charge, which he agreed to do as part of their amicable split, the court was told. The terms of Mr Sebastian's contract with 22 Management have been a key part of the trial. During his evidence, Mr Sebastian was grilled by Mr Day's defence about his deal with Mr Day in the early days of his contract. Mr Day's barrister Thomas Woods suggested to Mr Sebastian that he had agreed to 'look after' Mr Day down the track 'by compensating him for the lost commission during this early period' in 2009 when he was only earning 5 per cent. Mr Sebastian, during his evidence to the court last week, denied the assertion. '(Mr Day) wanted more than 5 per cent for that period but couldn't get it because of your arrangement with (22 Management) – you would look after him down the track when you were in a stronger financial position, and that was then what you did. That's what I'm suggesting to you,' Mr Woods said. 'Firstly, that's completely false … their agreement was a 15-5 agreement, and that was between them,' Mr Sebastian replied at the time. 'The concept that in 2014, that where I was already paying a lot of commission to Titus … that seems really ridiculous to me.'
