Jermaine Dupri Drops $18M Lawsuit Against Sony Music

Jermaine Dupri and his So So Def companies have dropped their $18 million royalty lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment, filing a notice of voluntary dismissal on Friday, August 28, in a New York federal court.

Resolution:

• The filing states, “the Plaintiffs voluntarily dismiss this action without prejudice as the parties have resolved the matter prior to joinder.”

• Neither Dupri nor Sony has disclosed details of the resolution.

• As the dismissal was without prejudice, Dupri and his companies could bring the claims again.

Backstory:

• The action comes less than two months after the initial complaint, in which Dupri and his companies sued Sony alleging years of unpaid and underreported royalties on recordings by Kris Kross, Xscape, Mariah Carey, and more.

• The plaintiffs were seeking no less than $18 million, with an additional $10 million in interest, plus attorneys’ fees, and a jury trial.

Other settlements:

• Dupri’s is the third royalty claim against Sony this year to end by agreement.

• Lit settled its streaming royalty suit on July 7, and Los Lobos settled its claim against Sony Music and its Milan imprint on August 21.