A travel-coordination allegation
Barry Hankerson alleges in court documents that his son, Jomo Hankerson, was paid to accompany and coordinate Aaliyah’s travel to a music video shoot in the Bahamas. Barry claims Jomo failed to perform that responsibility and that the crash “may have been avoided” had he done so. Jomo denies the allegation, and the filing does not establish a new official cause of the crash.
The crash and its litigation setting
Aaliyah was killed with the pilot and seven other passengers after their aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour Airport on August 25, 2001. The evidence identifies the aircraft as a Cessna 402B and reports that the National Transportation Safety Board assisted Bahamian authorities in the investigation. Barry’s allegation concerns travel coordination and not a new investigative finding.
The family dispute over music assets
The allegation arose amid Jomo’s lawsuit against Barry and Blackground Records over recording masters and music-publishing rights connected to Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX and Timbaland. Jomo is seeking more than $1.2 million and claims he is owed 12 percent of money Barry earned from those assets. Barry has denied the settlement claims and said the agreement was allegedly executed under fraud; the case remains ongoing, with both sides denying wrongdoing.
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