Leonard Cohen sues business manager

Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen slapped his longtime business manager with a lawsuit, alleging he's been defrauded of at least $5m (€4m).

The legal action, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, seeks damages for alleged breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, common law fraud, professional negligence and other claims against Kelley Lynch.

Tax lawyer Richard Westin is also named as a defendant for allegedly mismanaging Cohen's retirement funds.

According to the suit, Lynch was Cohen's business manager for 17 years until he fired her last October for allegedly taking money out of his personal and investment accounts.

The fraud allegedly started while Cohen was taking time away from his career to focus on his spiritual life. While Cohen was not recording or touring, Lynch allegedly started to pay herself an increased portion of the artist's royalties.