YouTube star Tati Westbrook has been accused of fraud in a lawsuit filed by a former business partner.
The makeup artist and her husband James are being sued by Clark Swanson for alleged breach of contract, gross negligence and fraudulent inducement – according to court documents obtained by E! News.
The lawsuit relates to the 38-year-old’s vitamin line Halo Beauty, with the documents stating that Clark agreed to 50% ownership of the company, with Tati and James owning the other half.
Clark claimed that prior to the company’s launch, he agreed to give Tati and James two-thirds of the business with the terms that Halo Beauty would be Tati’s umbrella brand for all her beauty launches – a term that he claims was breached.
The claimant also alleged that Tati promised her star power would result in sales, claiming: “Ms. Westbrook claimed that the product did not matter, she could still sell a ‘s**t product’ to her loyal followers.”
Clark claimed he was assured by Tati that other popular beauty gurus, such as James Charles and Jeffree Star, would endorse the product – but in 2019, James Charles and Tati had a public feud after James endorsed a rival company.
“Ms. Westbrook’s claim to influence was undercut when James Charles endorsed Sugar Bear Hair in an April 22, 2019 ‘swipe up’ Instagram story,” the court documents read.
“On May 10, 2019, Ms. Westbrook posted a video ‘Bye Sister,’ accusing Mr. Charles of inappropriate sexual conduct.”
Clark also claimed that Tati and her husband “actively interfered” with his efforts to grow Halo Beauty, and that Tati allegedly went behind his back to launch a separate beauty brand in 2019 under her own name.
The lawsuit alleged that Tati planned the launch of additional products for Tati Beauty without Clark’s knowledge.
Clark is seeking damages from the couple, requesting to take them to trial.
Tati’s lawyer Douglas Fuchs issued a statement to E! News, reading: “Clark Swanson‘s lawsuit is meritless…
“His absurd claim that Tati Westbrook granted him one-third of her name, image and likeness for all time in exchange for a modest initial capital contribution.
“Swanson‘s claim is not only baseless, it is offensive and defies common sense. This is particularly true given that Swanson has received millions in profit distributions from Halo Beauty, almost exclusively due to the Westbrooks‘ efforts.
“Tati and James will vigorously defend this lawsuit and are confident that the truth will come out and they will prevail.”
Tati has taken a break from YouTube since June, after she posted her “Breaking My Silence” video, in which she addressed her infamous ‘Bye Sister ‘video about James Charles last May.
The makeup guru claimed that she was coerced into making the infamous video by Shane Dawson and Jeffree Stars.
“[Shane] and Jeffree fed me so much information that I felt sick. Almost every day there was more information and new allegations,” Tati alleged.
“Eventually I started believing what they were saying, because they said they had evidence.”
