December 18, 2003 10:00

*N SYNC ACCUSED OF RACISM

Ibrahim Duarte is seeking $10 million after being fire for what he claims were racial reasons...

*NSYNC are facing a lawsuit filed by their former tour manager, who claims that the five members are racist.

Ibrahim Duarte is seeking $10 million (£5.7 million) for being fired by Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, for what he claims were racial reasons.

Timberlake is alleged to have called Duarte - who is black - a 'nigger' when he said: "You niggers ain't shit."

In the 18-page lawsuit, filed on November 25 in New York State Supreme Court, the tour manager also claims that he was forced to travel in a different tour bus than the rest of the band. He alleges that Bass was embarrassed to have a black tour manager in front of his friends.

In a statement released by his lawyers, Duarte claims that *NSYNC increasingly used racial slurs and derogatory language towards him and other black members employed by the group, including their sound engineer and choreographer.

According to MTV News, Duarte was employed by *NSYNC between January 1999 and December 2000, which included the band's 'No Strings Attached' tour.

However, a previous lawsuit was launched in June of last year, seeking $155,000 (£87,700) which Duarte claimed was still owed to him by the group for his duties as tour manager. There were no allegations of racism made during that suit.

Timberlake's lawyer Helene Freeman told Radio 1 there was no truth in claims he used racist language when he was in *NSYNC.