Suburban Noize Records officials claim the singer signed an exclusive recording contract in 2010 to release a new album, and as part of the deal, he was banned from featuring on any other musical project.

He reportedly received an advance of $80,000 (£50,000), but DeGrate failed to deliver on the album and then went on to work on the R&B group's reunion project, The Past, The Present, The Future, which hit retailers earlier this year (15).

Record executives confronted DeGrate about the issue and they reached a settlement, with the star allegedly agreeing to pay back the advance in instalments, which were due to begin on 1 October (15). However, Suburban Noize officials reveal DeGrate has yet to make good on his word and they filed legal papers in the Superior Court of California/County of Los Angeles on Friday (30Oct15), according to Billboard.com.

In the documents, plaintiffs state the firm "simply seeks to recover the monies DeGrate has acknowledged he owes and agreed (but failed) to pay".

DeGrate has yet to comment on the lawsuit.