Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesTLC’s former manager Perri “Pebbles” Reid has agreed to a settlement after suing Viacom over her depiction in the group’s 2013 biopic on VH1.
Pebbles had filed a $40 defamation lawsuit, claiming that the TLC CrazySexyCool movie presented her as a “conniving and dishonest business woman who hoodwinked three innocent girls and exploited their talent for her own personal gain.”
The trial was set to begin September 24, but the case was closed on Friday in Georgia federal court, according to Billboard. Details of the settlement were not disclosed.
Viacom had defended the film, saying it was produced without malice toward Pebbles and was told from the perspective of the two surviving members of the group: Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas. The third member, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes, died in a car accident in Honduras in 2002.
U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen ruled that there were scenes in the film that could be considered defamatory, including Pebbles pressuring the group members to sign contracts, appearing to improperly deduct expenses, and only paying TLC $25 a week.
CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story starred Keke Palmer as Chilli, Lil Mama as Left Eye, and Drew Sidora as T–Boz. The film was named after the group’s 1994 album, CrazySexyCool, which is the best selling album ever by an American female group, selling over 14 million copies worldwide.
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