is Rihanna to blame for Rita Ora's label lawsuit?

She is one of the most successful pop superstars in the world.

But Rihanna is said to have used to her power in the industry to halt the career of her fellow labelmate Rita Ora.

The Sun is reporting that the Umbrella hitmaker's dominance within Jay Z's Roc Nation record company is one of the major factors for the X Factor judge filing suit to end her contract with the label.

It has been alleged that Rihanna gets first choice when it comes to new songs, despite Rita still not having released a follow-up album since her 2012 eponymous debut.

A source tells the newspaper: 'Rihanna has never liked Rita and has been using her power at Roc Nation accordingly. Songs that might be submitted to her are automatically given to Rihanna, who may then hold them for months before deciding she doesn’t want them.

Rita's ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris is also a power player at Roc Nation, famously banning the star from performing I Will Never Let You Down, a track her produced for her during their relationship.

Rita launched legal action to end her relationship with Roc Nation earlier this month, claiming the agreement is in violation of California's 'seven-year rule' and that she has been forgotten about as executives take the business in a new direction.

'When Rita signed, Roc Nation and its senior executives were very involved with her as an artist,' the complaint states, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  

'As Roc Nation's interests diversified, there were fewer resources available and the company suffered a revolving door of executives.

'Rita's remaining supporters at the label left or moved on to other activities, to the point where she no longer had a relationship with anyone at the company.'

The lawsuit cites Roc Nation's interest in sports management and other endeavors like streaming service Tidal as specific examples.

The paperwork continues to call Roc Nation a 'diminished' record label with 'only a handful of admittedly worthy heritage superstar artists.'

In an attempt to break her contract, Rita is citing Labour Code §2855, known colloquially as the ‘Seven Year Rule’.

The code was successfully used by actress Olivia De Haviland in 1944 when she filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros, setting a precedent for future cases in the showbiz industry.

Rita’s attorney Howard King said he hopes the judge can see that the same circumstances as Olivia’s case can be applied to Rita.

The complaint continues: 'Rita's relationship with Roc Nation is irrevocably damaged.

'Fortunately for Rita, the California legislature had the foresight to protect its artists from the sorts of vicissitudes she's experienced with Roc Nation.'

After the news broke, 'Free Rita' began trending on Twitter as fans backed the singer's bid to be released from the label.