Ashanti

R&B singer Ashanti and her former first producer, Genard Parker, dropped all litigation Tuesday (Sept. 19) in an out-of-court settlement, ending a trial that began in New York City a day earlier.

The settlement amount has not been confirmed and their lawyers are remaining tight lipped, saying only that everyone was pleased that the bitter battle was over.

Parker, the producer who had helped Ashanti record several demos, said outside the court that he was "happy it's over."

Last year, another jury concluded that Ashanti broke a contract with Parker and owed him $630,000. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff rejected all but $50,000 of the award on the ground that the jurors did not have adequate facts to determine damages so they were left to speculate.

The judge's decision led to the new trial, in which Parker had been seeking $2.3 million from the award-winning R&B singer as he claimed that he had helped to launch her career.