CMT News

Travis Tritt Sues Record Label

Travis Tritt has filed a $10 million lawsuit against Category 5 Records, the Nashville-based label that released his latest album, The Storm, in August. Filed Tuesday (Dec. 11) in federal district court in Nashville, Tritt alleges that Category 5 and label president and CEO Ray Termini misrepresented the company's financial resources and expertise and denied him creative control over his recordings. Termini is also CEO of Haven Healthcare, a nursing home chain that is based in Middletown, Conn. The Connecticut attorney general's office is investigating Haven Healthcare, which declared bankruptcy in November, to determine if Termini illegally used Medicaid funds to help launch the record label. Termini has denied misusing the money. Tritt, who has a four-year contract with the label, claims Category 5 currently owes him almost $400,000. Established in 2005, Category 5 also released Sammy Kershaw's Honky Tonk Boots album in 2006.