Anita Baker 'terrified' by arrest warrant as she insists she knew nothing about the lawsuit filed against her

Anita Baker has spoken out for the first time about the warrant issued for her arrest - saying she
is 'terrified'.
The 56-year-old Grammy-winning singer has told TMZ she was in total shock to learn that authorities in Detroit had issued the warrant after she failed to appear in court for a civil lawsuit hearing on Wednesday.
'I've never been in trouble with the law. I'm terrified,' she told the website, insisting she knew nothing about the hearing relating to an unpaid bill for services completed on her Grosse Pointe home.

'I've never been in trouble with the law. I'm terrified': Grammy-winner Anita Baker - here performing in LA in March 2013 - has spoken about the warrant issued for her arrest on Wednesday in Detroit, saying she knew nothing about the lawsuit filed against her

'There's no justice in the justice system,' she added.
On Friday, her lawyer, Jamal Hamood, filed a motion to have the warrant lifted and the
default judgement overturned following her no-show.
The Sweet Love singer was watching television on Thursday when she learned of the warrant, after being sued in 2011 by Ray A Smith Painting And Decorating for allegedly failing to pay $15,000.
Expressing her surprise about the warrant, Baker tweeted her more than 290,000 followers on Thursday: 'WHATTT??!!...  sittin' in the kitchen watching this on TV. BIG time crazy. Atty on his way
to TV Station. Devil sho is busy.'
The star has since confirmed to TMZ that the company did undertake repairs to the outside of her home in 2009 to fix storm damage, for which she paid $60,000 upfront for the $75,000 job.

'BIG time crazy': Anita expressed her surprise about the warrant on Twitter on Thursday, after learning about it while watching TV

However, she insists the work wasn't completed and was so bad she ended up getting up on a ladder herself to complete the spackling.
Anita says she was never served with any legal documents and thus was completely unaware of any pending court case at the time, so a default judgement was entered in her absence.
When she failed to show up in court again on Wednesday, the Wayne County Circuit judge signed off on the bench warrant.
The contractor alleges that he delivered papers to the star's home in July last year, though Anita was away on tour at the time and never saw any such paperwork.
She goes on to state that she doesn't believe the documents were ever delivered in the first place.
'We certainly would have liked to resolve it before now. We just want to try to get my client his money,' the contractor's attorney, Daniel Gerow, tells Click On Detroit.

Illustrious career: The 56-year-old - pictured here at the 47th annual Grammy Awards in 2004 - has won eight Grammys, while she has five platinum and one gold album

'We're not trying to give her any hard time or anything unnecessary. We just would like to collect the money for my client. He's owed the money, and that could end it all right then.'
Baker's lawyer says the star is currently out of town, where she will remain until the issue has been resolved.
On Friday, the songstress tweeted her thanks to fans for their support.
'THANK YOU, for ALL the LOVE & LIGHT u've sent my way. All is well :) Light is Dim... But SHINING ANYway! Grateful 4 every lesson,' she wrote.
Oddly, Anita says this isn't the first time someone has claimed to serve her with legal papers and she has lost by default.
Meanwhile, back in 2010, the singer also found herself facing the possiblity of jail time after allegedly failing to sign documents relating to her divorce dispute.

A star is born: The Ohio-born songstress - seen here in 1985 - scored huge hits in the 1980s with songs such as the Grammy-winning single Sweet Love

Baker rose to fame in 1986 with the release of her platinum-selling second album, Rapture.
The record included her Grammy-winning single Sweet Love.
She has won eight Grammy Awards during her career and has five platinum albums and one gold album.
She was nominated for a Grammy in 2013 for her song Lately, though Beyoncé took home the award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her track Love On Top.
Baker has a 21-year-old son Walter and 19-year-old son Edward with ex-husband Walter Bridgeworth Jr, whom she married in 1988.
The couple separated in 2005 and finalised their divorce in 2007.

DM