He put his hand in my pocket: Alanis Morissette sues manager

Rocker Alanis Morissette says that her former manager cost her $US15 million through theft and other mal­feasance.

Alanis Morissette.

Rocker Alanis Morissette has sued her former business manager for allegedly stealing $US4.7 million ($6.5m) from her savings.

The Canadian-born singer, a giant in the alternative rock boom of the 1990s, said her former manager cost her $US15m through theft and other mal­feasance.

Morissette said Jonathan Schwartz had made at least 116 cash transfers worth a total of $US4,767,900 without her knowledge between 2010 and 2014.

Schwartz convinced Morissette her savings were in “fantastic” shape while in fact the transfers were “draining her assets and leading her on a road that could have led to financial ruin,” she said in the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles. The singer said she had turned down a “lucrative” offer to perform five shows in Las Vegas after Schwartz convinced her she did not need the money.

She sacked Schwartz in March after growing suspicious when he could not provide timely ­information on her finances. When a new manager discovered the alleged theft, the lawsuit said Schwartz offered fictitious explanations, including that the singer had invested in marijuana.

Morissette also named in the suit GSO Business Management, where Schwartz was a partner, saying the Los Angeles firm bore responsibility.

AFP