Nationwide — Barry Hankerson, Aaliyah’s uncle who was also her manager, has accused his son and the late singer’s cousin, Jomo Hankerson, of failing to properly handle travel plans for the 2001 trip that ended in her death. The allegation surfaced in a lawsuit involving the father and son, who are now fighting over money and music rights. Barry claims the fatal plane crash might have been prevented if Jomo had completed the travel duties he was paid to handle.
The dispute involves Aaliyah’s August 2001 trip to the Bahamas, where she had traveled with members of her team to film a music video. After the shoot, the group prepared to return home on a private plane. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, killing Aaliyah and all eight other people aboard. She was 22.
According to TMZ, Barry claims Jomo “failed in his responsibility” to handle the travel arrangements. He also says the crash “may have been avoided had [Jomo] followed through on his compensated task of travel coordination.” Barry says the tragedy also changed his relationship with his son, which he claims was never the same after Aaliyah’s death.
The accusation is part of a much larger family and business dispute. Jomo sued his father and Blackground Records, alleging that Barry failed to honor a settlement involving music rights. The lawsuit concerns recording masters and music publishing rights tied to several major artists, including Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX and Timbaland. Jomo claims the agreement entitled him to 12% of the money generated from those music assets.
Jomo is seeking more than $1.2 million in damages. He alleges that his father used Blackground Records to hide money and create expenses unrelated to the music assets in an effort to pressure him into accepting less than he was owed. Barry has denied the claims and argues that the settlement is invalid because it was allegedly made through fraud.
Barry has also accused his son of once threatening to release unreleased Aaliyah music if his financial demands were not met. Jomo has denied the allegations against him. The lawsuit remains ongoing, and the claims about the 2001 crash have not been established as facts in court.