Estranged 3LW member Naturi Naughton is suing the remaining members of the R&B trio for allegedly squeezing her out of the group.

The civil suit was filed Thursday (October 3) in U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey, according to a court spokesperson, and seeks compensation for loss of income caused by Naughton's dismissal. The suit also seeks to sever her contract with production company Nine Lives Entertainment and Sony Music.

Naughton was treated differently than her groupmates, according to her lawyer Ray Hamlin. He added that management accused her of not being "urban" enough and that her two-parent, Catholic upbringing didn't jibe with the image they had for the group. Naughton made similar claims in August (see "Naturi Describes Alleged 3LW Food Fight That Led To Split").

The suit also requests an examination of the group's financial records, because Naughton believes that she didn't receive money she was entitled to.

In addition to 3LW's Kiely Williams, 16, and Adrienne Bailon, 18, the suit also names Big Cat Management; 3LW manager Michelle Williams, and Tse Williams, owner of Nine Lives Entertainment, as defendants. Michelle and Tse are also Kiely's sisters.

A spokesperson for 3LW and Sony Music didn't return calls for comment at press time.

A summons was issued by the court clerk's office on Friday (October 4), and it's up to the plaintiffs to serve the defendants with it. The defendants then have 20 days to file an official reply.

Naughton announced her split with 3LW in August (see "3LW Become 2LW: Naturi Says She's Out of the Group"), and since then a she said/they said war of words has erupted.

For a feature interviews about 3LW and their tumultuous relationship, check out "3LW: One Story, Two Sides" and "Girl Groups: Why They Can't Keep It Together."