Patti LaBelle Sued for Allegedly Attacking a NYC Woman and Her Child (VIDEO)
R&B legend Patti LaBelle may be singing a new tune soon after being accused by a New York City family of verbally terrorizing them and attempting physically assault the mother.
LaBelle is accused of flying off the handle during a confrontation on Nov. 11, 2010, when pregnant woman Roseanna Monk left her daughter near the doors of their Riverside Boulevard building, according to court documents.
It was at that point that LaBelle allegedly got a new attitude and confronted Monk about leaving her daughter at the door.
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"Someone came up behind me and said, 'Do you know what your daughter is doing?' I said 'yes' and went to pick her up," she told the New York Post. The singer was apparently dissatisfied with the Monk's response.
"She said in an aggressive tone, 'You shouldn't have left your daughter by the door,' " Monk said. "I told her, 'I have no interest in what you say or think.' "
It was then LaBelle allegedly became furious and started cussing at the woman, with her 18-month-old daughter Genevieve present. According to Monk, the R&B diva tossed the C-word and the F-word around in a lough voice, and started "flicking" water at the woman.
At one point, the suit alleges, LaBelle even lunged at Monk, who was still holding her daughter, and tried to hit her. The singer was restrained by her entourage and ushered in a vehicle, the New York Post reports.
The 18-month-old girl was crying at this point, Monk claims, and got into such a fit, that the child vomited.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, alleges that LaBelle terrified the child so that she suffers from "personality changes, sleep disorder" and "increased fear of strangers."
The family's attorney, Samuel L. Davis, said he took the case for free and that the family plans to donate any money it gets to a children's cancer charity. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
"The purpose is to hold Patti LaBelle responsible for her conduct," Davis said. "That kind of behavior is completely unacceptable, especially when aimed at a kindergarten teacher carrying an 18-month-old child."
Monk had reportedly asked LaBelle for an apology and a donation to a children's cancer charity but never received a response.
The Monks reportedly decided to sue after hearing about another dust-up LaBelle's hairdresser and bodyguard had at an airport with a West Point cadet.
The Grammy-award winning singer was staying at the Riverside Boulevard apartment building during her appearance in the Broadway musical "Fela!" last year, The Associated Press reports.
The Associated Press video report below on the incident involving LaBelle begins at about 18 seconds into the clip:
