Reggae icon Frederick 'toots' Hibbert has filed a lawsuit against his former manager amid allegations he was conned into signing away half of his song rights.

The Toots and the Maytals frontman claims Marc-Antoine Chetata took advantage of his lack of business acumen after being hired in 1994 to take care of the band's professional affairs, and he persuaded the singer to agree to handing over 50 per cent of his copyright ownership.

The Pressure Drop star and his band have more than 30 albums in its discography, which dates back to the early 1960s.

Hibbert is demanding the return of the song rights, in addition to at least $1.25 million (£806,452), reports Tmz.com.

The litigation is the latest headache for the 70 year old - he axed the remainder of his U.S. tour this week (begs27May13) after sustaining a serious head injury when a man hurled a bottle at the stage during a concert in Virginia on 18 May (13). A 19-year-old suspect has been charged with aggravated assault over the incident.