Beyonce Fired Dad Amid Accusations of Theft, Legal Documents Show

Beyonce's belief that her father Matthew Knowles stole money from her led to his being fired as her manager, according to legal papers obtained by TMZ.

The pop singer terminated Mathew Knowles -- who launched her career at a young age -- in March. At the time, she explained: "I've only parted ways with my father on a business level. He is my father for life, and I love my dad dearly. I am grateful for everything he has taught me. I grew up watching both he and my mother [Tina Knowles] manage and own their own businesses. They were hard-working entrepreneurs and I will continue to follow in their footsteps."

Mathew Knowles said at the time that the parting was a mutual decision, claiming he was choosing to focus more on the gospel artists he represents.

But now, in legal papers he recently filed, Mathew Knowles claims that Live Nation Entertainment made false claims about him to his daughter in the hopes of coming aboard her 2011 world tour.

Live Nation told the singer that he "had stolen money from Beyonce on her most recent tour or otherwise taken funds that [he] was not entitled to," according to the legal documents.

Supporting those claims was Beyonce's law firm, who conducted an audit that concluded Mathew Knowles had stolen money, but he denies the accusations and is asking a judge to take depositions from several Live Nation employees to determine how they arrived at their conclusions.