Naomi Judd's Former Manager Sues Estate Over Alleged Unpaid Commissions

Country singer Naomi Judd took her own life on April 30, leaving behind her husband, Larry Strickland, and her two daughters, singer Wynonna Judd and actress Ashley Judd. But, the family is now dealing with legal issues.

In new legal documents obtained by The Blast, Naomi’s former manager, Michael P. Dolan, is suing the estate of Naomi Judd in Chancery Court in Williamson County, Tennessee, over alleged unpaid commission dating back to the year 2000.

Only ten days shy of the one-year anniversary of her death, Naomi Judd's former manager, Michael P. Dolan, is suing his former client's estate in new court documents obtained by The Blast. In the legal filing, Dolan claims that he earned "a 6% gross revenue commission for my personal management and executive producer services rendered in connection with The Judds' Reunion 'Power to Change' CBS special that was taped for broadcast on April 7, 2000, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky."

On March 15, 2000, Judd's business manager, Flood Bumstead McCready & McCarthy, wrote a "white paper summary" that acknowledged his commission structure and the services he provided for the CBS special.

"During my tenure as the Decedent's personal manager, I successfully negotiated with CBS to ensure and provide that Naomi Judd, Wynonna Judd, and The Judds secured and owned all copyrights related to the CBS Special," Dolan wrote, adding that he was also named as an executive producer on the special as well.

Dolan and the Judds terminated their contract on August 11, 2000, at which time he claims to have "offered to resolve all of my outstanding rights, interests, and claims arising from my participation and executive producer activities with the Decedent and her business manager, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy in Nashville, TN, but the Decedent declined to purchase my rights, interests or claims at that time."

“Based on the CBS contract commitment of $825,000, plus the $300,000 commitment from Mercury (Universal/Curb), my 6% commission on [Naomi Judd’s] (as well as her interests in J2K, Inc.’s and NJLS Corp.’s) ½ share on gross monies received for the April 7, 2000 CBS Special was $33,750, for which I was paid,” he admits.

He goes on to claim that he has not “received any additional payments, compensation, royalties or distributions from the worldwide distribution, exploitation, display, broadcast, or streaming of the CBS Special and desire to obtain proper payment, compensation, royalty, or distribution for any such activities by [Naomi Judd] prior to her unfortunate death on April 30, 2022, or from her Estate as to any such future exploitations.”

He concluded his filing by adding, “As part of this claim, I hereby request that an accounting be performed to determine any and all monies or revenue that has been received from any exploitation of the CBS Special since August 14, 2000, and provided to me.”

The Judd estate has yet to publicly respond to Dolan's request for compensation for an event that took place over two decades ago. The lawsuit was filed only one day before Naomi's daughter, Ashley Judd, celebrated her 55th birthday.

On Wednesday, Ashley took to Instagram to share a photo of a cake that was delivered to her in bed. She said "everyone" was making her birthday as "soft" as they could, since "on my last birthday, Mom was a scant 11 days from her death by crushing suicide."

Although this is Ashley's first birthday without her mother, she admitted, "I think of her constantly" and recalled how her mother used to share "baby stories" and her favorite memories of when she was growing up each birthday.

"I hope all parents do that for their children on their birthdays," Ashley wrote. "We celebrated so many together with my Chosen Family: picnics, running charades, Smoky Mountains, conversations about parenting ('when we know better, we do better') social issues, & laughter scatter like sunlight in my memory. Last year's, as you might imagine, was more muted, being so close to her end."

She said that she celebrated her birthday with a small meal of roast chicken and cornbread, but noted that "Mom laid down a lot" during the celebration. "We had cake and in spite of being weak and preoccupied with the disease that was eating at her, she had a gorgeous card for me and I knew, as ever, how much she loved me," Ashley wrote. "I know that today, too, even as she breathes in the infinite mercy of God."

"Thank you, Mom, for all my birthdays so far, and for celebrating me: for holding me at bedtime and whispering in my ear, 'Ashley, you are an extraordinary woman,' and letting me be your Sweetpea. What more does a birthday girl need, than memories of a mother like that? And this is how she saw and loved me, first awake, hair never brushed, ready to share our dreams," she concluded. "For you, Mom. For you."