Timbaland files $15 million suit in Los Angeles against former managers

Timbaland has filed a lawsuit seeking $15 million from his former managers.

The legal documents were submitted to a court in Los Angeles on October 30. The suit names Gary Marella and Bruce Seckendorf as the defendants. Timbaland, whose real name is Timothy Zachary Mosley, claims the pair mishandled his finances for years.

The lawsuit states that Marella took millions of dollars in unauthorized commissions, fees, and reimbursements. It also alleges that Marella falsified financial records to hide these actions. The complaint says Seckendorf incurred large federal tax penalties by failing to pay taxes. During that period, Seckendorf and Marella paid themselves millions in fees. These financial issues nearly put Timbaland’s house into foreclosure.

Timbaland’s lawyers described the situation in the filing. They wrote that this is not a case about ordinary business losses or bookkeeping errors. They stated that the defendants used their entrusted authority to enrich themselves and others. They added that the managers concealed financial misconduct and depleted Timbaland’s valuable assets.

Marella managed Timbaland for close to a decade. During that time, Timbaland sold his catalog to Hipnosis Songs Fund in 2019. He also sold his stake in the livestream rap battle series Verzuz. The split between Timbaland and Marella began in August. That was the month DJ E Feezy filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Timbaland in Florida. Timbaland blamed Marella for E Feezy’s firing. He said he fired Marella a year before the DJ’s suit was filed. Timbaland alleged that the defendants knew where the money went while he did not.

The lawsuit also addresses Beatclub, a joint venture launched in 2021. The group helped producers sell and market their beats. Timbaland claimed Marella took funds from this venture. He said Marella treated him like a piggy bank to repair the problems Marella created.

Marella denied the accusations in a statement. He said he began managing Tim in 2017. That was long after Timbaland had produced his biggest hits. Marella stated that Tim was already in a bad financial place when he started. He said the financial problems did not begin with him. Marella claimed he came in to help rebuild the business. He noted that they generated roughly $75 million in business over approximately nine years.