Adam Lambert has been sued by a California record company over a CD they say he recorded for them before his breakout performances on Fox's "American Idol."
The Hollywood Reporter said the federal-court lawsuit alleges the "Idol" rule specifically states contestants were not eligible to appear on the show if they had a recording contract at the time they auditioned.
The dispute came to a head last month when Colwel released "Beg for Mercy," a Lambert CD of material he recorded for Welsford. Lambert's attorneys filed a legal takedown notice that resulted in "Beg for Mercy" being pulled by Amazon.com.
Colwel fired back with a lawsuit claiming Lambert had a deal with them and that they spent $200,000 on the project, including paying his living expenses for a period.
The Reporter said Lambert and "American Idol" have had no comment on the matter.
