Legendary soul singer Gladys Knight is rumored to be extorted by her own son. According to reports, Knight’s son Shanga Hankerson is threatening to go public with her dementia illness, if she doesn’t show him some slack in their ongoing lawsuit. The two have been battling it out over the “Gladys Knight’s Chicken & Waffles” restaurant in Atlanta, where Knight wants her name completely taken off. She no longer want to be affiliated with the restaurant. However, Hankerson is refusing to remove her name because, as he claims in new court documents, she lacks the “mental capacity” to rescind the licensing deal. The legendary singer has nothing to do with the business and only allowed her son to use her name under a licensing deal. That was until the Department of Revenue accused Hankerson of theft and tax evasion in June 2016. Three restaurants in Georgia were raided and shut down by the Feds. Authorities claims Hankerson stole over $650,000 in sales taxes and withheld taxes owed to the state. He know owes the IRS $1 million dollars. Clayton County police arrested him in June and charged him with felony theft. All the bad press surrounding Hankerson and the restaurant prompted Knight to want to remove her name from the restaurant chain.
