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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Man dies after being struck by Transperth bus outside Perth Arena
A 45-year-old man has died after he was hit by a bus while crossing the road near the Perth Arena on Friday night. A Public Transit Authority bus was turning right onto Wellington Street from Milligan Street at around 6:15pm when it hit the man who was crossing the road. He sustained critical injuries and died at the scene. The 37-year-old bus driver was not injured and is assisting police with its investigation. Major Crash investigators are appealing for anyone with information or dashcam footage of the scene to contact police. There was increased foot traffic in the area on Friday night due to a sports event at the Perth Arena, but it is not yet known whether the man was attending the event. It comes after a woman was killed after being hit by a Transperth bus on the Causeway in East Perth in March.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Early morning ram raid leaves Melbourne convenience store in ruins
A convenience store in Melbourne's north was targeted in a failed ram raid early Saturday morning, as a car smashed through the front of the Preston shop before fleeing empty-handed. Police said a white Ford Ranger reversed into the glass doors of the store on Plenty Road at around 3:00am. The doors at Plenty Road Convenience were shattered in the attack but police said the offenders were unable to gain access, and nothing was stolen. Police confirmed the shop attendant, who was on site at the time, was not injured in the incident. The vehicle was last seen fleeing northbound on Plenty Road. Neighbouring businesses have been unable to open on Saturday morning due to fears of structural damage to the building after the incident.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
A Plastic Ocean Oratorio from Omar Musa and Mariel Roberts Musa, and a new Chapter for Guy Blackman
Omar Musa and Mariel Roberts Musa's collaborative performance work The Offering is subtitled 'A Plastic Ocean Oratorio'. For Musa, it is 'an offering of borderlessness in an archipelago of humanity'. It confronts the present – climate change, colonisation, personal histories – with an imagined future narrative through Omar's inimitable spoken word and Mariel's fearless cello, which we'll get a sneak preview of from the Riverside Theatres rehearsal room. Guy Blackman was a Pink Floyd-obsessed teenager living in Perth when he started a Syd Barrett fanzine which eventually morphed into the beloved indie record label Chapter Music. For 33 years the label has released albums by Australian bands and artists like NO ZU, Twerps, June Jones, Laura Jean, alongside reissues and compilations from international artists like Kath Bloom and Smokey. This year Guy is winding the label back, choosing to focus solely on reissues. He chats to Andrew about three decades of change in the music landscape, and about his new solo album Out Of Sight , which belatedly follows up his 2008 debut Adult Baby. And Andy remembers Alfred Brendel, the pianist who has died at the age of 94. The Offering is at Riverside's National Theatre of Parramatta 25 - 28 June. Out of Sight is out now via Chapter Music. Music heard in the show: Title: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 'Emperor', i. Allegro Moderato; ii. Adagio Un Poco Mosso Artist: Alfred Brendel, Vienna Symphony Orchestra/Zubin Mehta Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven Album: The Legendary Mozart & Beethoven Recordings Label: Brilliant Recordings Extracts from The Offering written and performed by Omar Musa and Mariel Roberts Musa Title: Let Me Let You Let Me Down Artist: Guy Blackman (feat. Julien Gasc) Composer: Guy Blackman Album: Out Of Sight Label: Chapter Music Title: I Love Myself For You Artist: Guy Blackman Composer: Guy Blackman Album: Out Of Sight Label: Chapter Music Title: Leather Artist: Smokey Composer: John Condon Album: How Far Will You Go? Label: Chapter Music Title: Downhearted Blues Artist: Margret RoadKnight Composer: Alberta Hunter, Lovie Austin Album: LONG TIME… Label: Chapter Music The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Dharug and Gundungurra Country
