When Aaliyah tragically died in a plane crash in 2001, fans around the world mourned the loss of one of R&B’s brightest stars. More than two decades later, her name is once again at the center of a heartbreaking legal dispute involving members of her own family.
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Barry Hankerson, Aaliyah’s uncle and longtime manager, has filed a countersuit against his son, Jomo Hankerson, in an ongoing legal battle over music rights. In the new court filing, Barry makes the startling claim that Jomo bears responsibility for the travel arrangements that led to the fatal plane crash.
According to the lawsuit, Barry says Jomo was paid to oversee and coordinate travel for Aaliyah and her team during the filming of her “Rock the Boat” music video in the Bahamas in August 2001. Barry alleges that his son failed to properly carry out those responsibilities, arguing that better planning could have prevented the tragedy.
The crash occurred on August 25, 2001, shortly after the charter plane departed the Bahamas for Florida. The aircraft crashed moments after takeoff, killing Aaliyah, the pilot and all seven other passengers on board.
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Barry claims he should not be required to pay his son money sought in the current lawsuit because Jomo allegedly failed in the job he was hired to perform. He also argues that the settlement agreement at the center of their dispute should not be enforced, claiming it was obtained through fraud.
The countersuit comes after Jomo filed his own lawsuit earlier this year seeking approximately $1.2 million in damages. He alleges that Barry violated a previous settlement involving ownership interests and royalty payments connected to Blackground Records and music from artists including Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX and Timbaland.
Jomo claims he is entitled to 12 percent of his father’s earnings from those music assets under their agreement. He also accuses Barry of using Blackground Records to conceal income and create unnecessary expenses in an effort to reduce the amount he would receive.
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Barry denies those accusations and maintains that he owes his son nothing under the disputed agreement.
The tragedy itself has long been the subject of official investigations. The National Transportation Safety Board previously determined that the aircraft was significantly overloaded at the time of takeoff. Investigators also found that the pilot was not authorized to serve as pilot-in-command for the flight.
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Neither Barry nor Jomo has publicly commented beyond their court filings, and attorneys for both sides have not issued statements.
As the lawsuit moves forward, the emotional claims are drawing renewed attention to Aaliyah’s legacy and the devastating circumstances surrounding her death, while reopening painful memories more than 25 years after the accident.
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