Patti LaBelle accused of menacing toddler

NEW YORK, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A New York couple are suing singer Patti LaBelle for allegedly yelling obscenities at their toddler, who was running around an apartment building lobby.

Roseanna Monk, a kindergarten teacher, alleges LaBelle last year screamed at her and threw water on her and her 18-month-old daughter's faces, then took a swing at her after loudly complaining about the child playing in the public area of the family's apartment building. The recording star had been renting a flat in the building as she appeared in "Fela!" on Broadway, the New York Daily News said.

In the lawsuit she filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court, Monk said the incident ended with LaBelle's entourage whisking the music icon away in a car while the toddler vomited on her mother.

Monk's lawyer told the Daily News Monk would not have sued LaBelle if she had apologized for her behavior.

LaBelle's representatives declined to comment on the lawsuit, the newspaper said.