Talento Kaori Manabe (29) has just been hit with a countersuit by her management agency, Avilla. The suit, filed on Monday, is seeking 300 million yen in damages for alleged breach of contract.
In December, Manabe had filed a lawsuit against her agency, seeking to have her contract canceled after the company's president was arrested for tax evasion, and authorities searched Manabe's home for potential evidence. Her battle with Avilla escalated in March when the company publicly suggested that Manabe herself was also guilty of tax evasion. At the time, it was reported that Avilla was considering launching a countersuit.
According to the suit, Manabe notified the agency in September that she wanted to cancel her contract. However, she also refused to carry out work that had already been scheduled for this year. A company representative said that those job contracts totaled about 188 million yen, and overall her breach of contract constitutes more than 600 million yen.
Manabe's lawyer said that they have not yet seen the details of the countersuit.
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