French Montana walked away with a courtroom win and his platinum plaque intact after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit tossed out a copyright infringement lawsuit tied to his 2013 single “Ain’t Worried About Nothin’.”

The legal dispute, filed by musician Eddie Richardson, accused the Bronx rapper of lifting elements from an instrumental Hip-Hop track without permission.

Richardson claimed French Montana’s team copied his composition, pointing to the use of “deep percussion, rhythmic snare” patterns that he believed were taken directly from his work.

But the appellate judges weren’t convinced. The court sided with Montana, stating there wasn’t enough evidence to show the rapper “duplicated the work as opposed to merely imitating it.”

That distinction proved critical, as copyright law requires a higher burden of proof for actual copying versus coincidental resemblance.

The court also noted that the musical elements Richardson cited were too generic to qualify for protection. Familiar sounds in Hip-Hop production, the judges concluded, can’t be locked down by a single artist.

“Ain’t Worried About Nothin’” was the lead single off Montana’s debut album, Excuse My French and it made a solid impact on the charts, peaking at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It later earned platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.

French Montana is being taken to court by two Swiss men who claim the rapper borrowed a luxury watch worth more than $1 million and never gave it back.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, accuses the Moroccan-American artist of keeping the high-end timepiece after allegedly borrowing it for Paris Fashion Week in 2024.

Plaintiffs Justo Obiang and Samir Gato say they loaned Montana the watch under the impression it would be returned within 30 days.

“He promised to return it,” the lawsuit states.

According to court documents, the dispute began after years of casual contact between the parties, who first met in 2015 following one of Montana’s shows in Geneva.

The plaintiffs say they reconnected in Egypt, where Montana reportedly asked to trade watches with Obiang. When Obiang declined, Montana allegedly asked to borrow the watch temporarily.

To secure the deal, Montana is said to have handed over a different timepiece, claiming it was worth more than $1 million. Obiang and Gato now allege that the item was a fake.

The lawsuit accuses Montana of fraudulent misrepresentation, conversion and unjust enrichment. The plaintiffs are seeking at least $1 million in damages.

Montana’s attorney, Steve Haddad, denied the allegations and said the rapper plans to fight back. “These claims are untrue and he plans to countersue Obiang and Gato,” Haddad told TMZ.

According to Haddad, Montana’s version of events paints a different picture.

“Montana claims he went to Egypt because Justo convinced him to go, where he did multiple days’ worth of media appearances and social media postings … and, he accepted the watch as payment,” Haddad said.

This legal battle adds to Montana’s growing list of courtroom troubles.

In March 2025, a judge ordered him to pay $402,000 in a civil case involving a dog attack. He’s also been named in lawsuits tied to sexual battery allegations and a shooting that occurred on a music video set.

French Montana moved to New York from Morocco as a child and built his name in the Hip-Hop world with a string of successful albums and collaborations. His engagement to Dubai royal Sheikha Mahra has also kept him in the spotlight internationally.

In celebrity circles, luxury watches from brands like Richard Mille and Patek Philippe are often used as status symbols or informal currency. But without written agreements, ownership claims become murky.

With parties from different continents and no formal documentation, the case could face complications around jurisdiction and enforcement. Montana’s legal team is expected to argue that the watch was compensation for services, not a loan.

If the watch is indeed counterfeit, that could weigh heavily in court.