Timbaland Sues Ex-Managers Over $15M in Alleged Stolen Commissions and Falsified Records

Producer Timbaland has filed a $15 million lawsuit against his former managers, alleging they mismanaged his finances and concealed large-scale financial misconduct. The suit, filed on October 30 in Los Angeles, accuses Gary Marella and Bruce Seckendorf of stealing millions in unauthorized commissions and falsifying records to hide their actions.

Timbaland claims Marella, who managed him for nearly a decade, paid himself and Seckendorf millions in fees while Seckendorf failed to pay federal taxes. According to the filing, these unpaid taxes triggered large penalties that nearly forced Timbaland’s home into foreclosure. The lawsuit states that the managers used their authority to deplete his assets while he remained unaware of where his money went.

Timbaland’s legal team wrote that the case involves more than ordinary business losses or bookkeeping errors. They argued that the defendants used their entrusted position to enrich themselves and others. Timbaland specifically alleged that Marella took funds from Beatclub, a joint venture launched in 2021 to help producers sell beats, and used those funds to fix problems Marella had created.

Marella denied the accusations in a statement. He noted that when he began managing Timbaland in 2017, the producer was already in a difficult financial position. Marella said he joined to rebuild the business and that the pair generated roughly $75 million in business over the following nine years.

The split between Timbaland and Marella began in August after DJ E Feezy filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the producer in Florida. Timbaland blamed Marella for the financial impropriety that led to E Feezy’s departure. Timbaland stated that he fired Marella a year before the split and that the defendants knew where the money went, but he did not.

During Marella’s tenure, Timbaland sold his music catalog to Hipnosis Songs Fund in 2019 and divested his stake in the Verzuz livestream battle series. The producer is known for hits including Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’” and Missy Elliott’s “Sock It To Me.” The lawsuit remains active in Los Angeles courts.