Pharrell Williams is pushing to dismiss the lawsuit from his Neptunes partner Chad Hugo, arguing that after three years and three versions of the complaint, Hugo still hasn’t clearly identified a copyright claim that belongs in federal court.
In a new filing obtained by Rolling Stone, Williams and his lawyers say Hugo named no specific songs in his original complaint, identifying only the album No One Ever Really Dies. An amended complaint later listed eight songs that were not on that album, but Hugo dropped all eight from a second amended complaint filed last month. The latest version of the lawsuit identifies only EarthGang’s “U Gotta,” but it doesn’t say whether Hugo is claiming rights in the musical composition, the sound recording, or both, the filing argues.
“The [second amended complaint] is so vague and ambiguous with respect to the copyrights placed at issue that defendants cannot reasonably prepare a response,” the new motion argues. “As incomprehensible as it is, it appears that Hugo has no idea which compositions or sound recordings he supposedly authored — even though he claims to have been there, right by defendants’ side, the whole time.”
Williams is asking the court to dismiss the entire lawsuit, arguing that without a viable federal copyright claim, Hugo’s state-law claims for breach of fiduciary duty and an incomplete accounting should also be dismissed, leaving him to pursue those claims separately in state court if he chooses. The eight songs Hugo previously identified and later dropped were Rosalía’s “Motomami” and “La Combi Versace”; “Cash In Cash Out”; “Love Is Not Written”; “Pure”; “Real One,” featuring Latto; and “Lost and Found” and “Freestyle,” both featuring Tyler, the Creator.
Hugo’s lawyer did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment on Wednesday. The court has not yet ruled on the dismissal motion or set a possible hearing.
In the lawsuit, Hugo says he and Pharrell co-founded the Neptunes and the musical group N.E.R.D., and made them into the “most influential musical forces of their generation, whose innovative, genre-blending sound helped shape modern hip-hop, R&B, and pop music.” Hugo says he contributed to the groups’ output as a writer, producer, arranger, and performer.v
“Although Defendant Williams often received greater public visibility, plaintiff’s contributions as a founding creative partner, co-writer, producer, and co-founder of both The Neptunes and N.E.R.D. were indispensable to the commercial value, goodwill, and brand recognition associated with these ventures,” his second amended complaint states.
The latest complaint still identifies the album No One Ever Really Dies, alleging that Hugo is owed damages that could exceed $1 million from that project alone. It notes that the album debuted at Number 10 on the Billboard charts and has generated millions of streams.
