Aaliyah's Uncle Blames Cousin for Fatal 2001 Crash

A legal battle over music rights has taken a devastating turn as Barry Hankerson, uncle and longtime manager of the late singer Aaliyah, has accused his own son of contributing to the artist's death in a 2001 plane crash.

Court documents obtained by TMZ reveal that Barry Hankerson claims his son Jomo Hankerson, who is Aaliyah's cousin, was compensated to coordinate travel arrangements for the singer's music video shoot in the Bahamas during August 2001. According to the filing, Jomo allegedly failed to fulfill those responsibilities, leading Aaliyah to board a private jet that crashed and killed all passengers aboard.

Barry Hankerson asserts in legal documents that his son "failed in his responsibility" to manage the travel plans. The uncle further contends that the fatal crash "may have been avoided had [Jomo] followed through on his compensated task of travel coordination," according to TMZ.

The elder Hankerson stated that his relationship with his son deteriorated irreparably following Aaliyah's death and has never recovered.

The explosive allegation emerged within a broader lawsuit filed by Jomo Hankerson against his father and Blackground Records, the record label Barry Hankerson operates. The younger Hankerson alleges his father violated a settlement agreement concerning valuable music assets, including recording masters and music publishing copyrights for Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX, and Timbaland.

According to the complaint, Jomo Hankerson is entitled to 12 percent of revenues generated from these music assets under the terms of a settlement deal. He accuses his father of using the record label to conceal income and "manufacture expenses that have nothing to do with the music assets, all for the purpose of pressuring [him] into accepting less than what he is owed," TMZ reported. Jomo Hankerson is seeking damages exceeding $1.2 million.

Barry Hankerson has denied all allegations of wrongdoing in the litigation. He contends the settlement agreement in question lacks validity because it was executed under fraudulent circumstances. Additionally, the elder Hankerson has accused his son of threatening to release unreleased Aaliyah recordings if financial demands were not satisfied.

Jomo Hankerson has similarly denied all claims of wrongdoing leveled against him. The case remains active in court.

The legal dispute exposes deep fractures within a family still grappling with the loss of one of music's most promising talents, whose career was cut short at the height of her success.