Katie Armiger Settles Lawsuits With Former Label Head Pete O’Heeron

Katie Armiger and Pete O'Heeron — head of the singer's former record label, Cold River Records — have settled lawsuits filed after the two parties split more than four years ago.

According to a press release issued jointly, the confidential settlement allows both Armiger and O'Heeron to walk away without admitting wrongdoing or liability. Neither party will be publicly discussing the settlement or lawsuits that led to it.

Both sides expressed regrets or disappointment in the way things went after Armiger and Cold River separated in 2015. You can read those statements in full below. Seemingly, this ends the years-long back and forth and accusations between the two parties that started when Cold River announced Armiger had "decided to take a breather" from music in June 2015. The singer vehemently denied saying that, and over the next 12 months both sides filed lawsuits in which the label accused her of failing to perform the remainder of her contracts with the label. Armiger countered saying the label withheld income from her and asked her to "sex it up" during visits with radio station programmers.

A second volley of lawsuits were revealed in 2017, just as the #MeToo movement was getting started. Armiger started a GoFundMe asking for $20,000 for legal fees to fight back against what she alleged was an attempt to silence her. In announcing the campaign, she alluded to a previous settlement. In total, just under $10,000 was raised.

In September, Cold River Records closed and O'Heeron announced he was leaving the music business. Armiger had gone back to college and indicated she wanted to continue pursuing music and songwriting.

For her part, Ms. Armiger regrets any potentially damaging comments made by friends or fans about Mr. O’Heeron and Cold River Records and recognizes that Mr. O’Heeron was not individually responsible for the entirety of the negative experiences she faced in the country music industry. Ms. Armiger recognizes that, although she and Mr. O’Heeron had creative differences, his intentions and interactions with her were wholeheartedly aimed at promoting the best interests of her career. She is grateful to Mr. O’Heeron for his guidance and contributions to her career and thanks her friends and fans for their continued support.

For his part, Mr. O’Heeron is disappointed that Ms.Armiger encountered any negative experiences by other industry professionals with whom she worked while promoting her music. Mr. O’Heeron recognizes the many challenges faced by women in country music and sincerely hopes that the industry changes for the better. Mr. O’Heeron and Cold River Records wish Ms. Armiger the best of luck with her career.

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