Attorney: Anita Baker wants arrest warrant discharged

Warrant tied to civil lawsuit filed by former contractor who did work on singer’s Grosse Pointe home

The house is beautiful and I always wonder how it is that rich people end up not paying certain bills that seem to be very small.

DETROIT -The attorney for Anita Baker says he will be filing a motion Friday to discharge an arrest warrant that’s been issued for the singer-songwriter.Baker’s legal troubles stem from an incident involving her Grosse Pointe estate. Ray Smith Painting and Decorating claims Baker never handed over thousands of dollars she owed the company for work done inside her home. The plaintiff’s attorney, Daniel Gerow, claims Baker has failed to pay up and failed to appear in court, which is why the bench warrant was issued.

“She had paid them almost $60,000, and the contract was supposed to be far less than that, and at the end, ended up with a job that was very shoddy. Very poor workmanship. She has pictures,” Hamood said.

Hamood said Baker and the contractor got into a dispute over an additional $15,000, which resulted in a lawsuit in 2010.

“The plaintiff decided to dismiss that lawsuit, voluntarily on his own,” Hamood said. “So, Ms. Baker believed that the matter was over at that point.”

Hamood said the lawsuit was refiled about four months later, but Baker was never served with any papers.

“She wasn’t aware that the second lawsuit had been filed, and certainly wasn’t aware that a default or a default judgment had been added against her,” Hamood said.