Two years after Oscar-winning film, Searching for Sugar Man raised questions about royalties for Sixto Rodriguez , a copyright and fraud lawsuit has been filed against Clarence Avant , who signed the Detroit singer to a record deal more than four decades ago. Rodriguez is not a direct party in the complaint, filed in Detroit federal court by Gomba Music , which is owned by longtime Michigan music executive Harry Balk . But the musician does stand to benefit if Gomba is successful. Speaking with the Detriot Free Press, Avant denied wrongdoing. “I think I’ve been pretty fair to Rodriguez all along,” said Avant, 83. “I wish him nothing but the best, because I think he deserves it. I admire the nerve.” Gomba said it had an exclusive songwriting deal with Rodriguez that was willfully ignored by Avant , whose Los Angeles-based Venture Records released the musician’s “Cold Fact” album in 1970 . Gomba holds songwriting copyrights for those Rodriguez songs, the compla...