Megan Thee Stallion asked a court to prevent 1501 Certified Entertainment from deposing Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez.
According to documents obtained by AllHipHop, Megan Thee Stallion sought a protective order for Perez in the rapper’s ongoing legal battle with 1501. Megan Thee Stallion’s lawyers criticized 1501 for issuing a subpoena to Perez, calling it an “underhanded tactic.”
“1501 does not seek relevant, admissible evidence because Perez does not have any,” the attorneys explained. “Rather, 1501 is intent on harassing Perez and disrupting her responsibilities as CEO of Roc Nation. But Texas law does not give 1501 a license to use discovery for these purposes. The apex doctrine is applicable where, as here, a party seeks to distract a senior executive from their duties to sit for an improper deposition.”
Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, sued 1501 in an effort to get out of her deal with the label. The multi-platinum selling artist believed she completed her contractual obligations.
Carl Crawford and his 1501 imprint claimed Megan Thee Stallion hasn’t fulfilled the terms of their deal. The label also argued it had no issues with her until Roc Nation became involved in her career.
1501 wanted to question Roc Nation’s CEO in the case. But Megan Thee Stallion’s legal team insisted a deposition of Perez would be “improper.”
“As set forth in the affidavit, Perez has no unique knowledge relevant to this action and her deposition is not reasonably likely to lead to relevant evidence,” the lawyers contended. “The claims and defenses at issue in this case involve two primary disputes: (1) the accounting between Pete and 1501; and (2) the contractual dispute regarding whether Pete’s two latest albums satisfy her recording commitments under the Artist Agreement. Perez does not have unique or superior knowledge regarding either.”
Attorneys acknowledged Perez has “some knowledge” of Megan Thee Stallion’s general affairs, but the Roc Nation CEO doesn’t handle the rapper’s finances. Lawyers sought a protective order for Perez, who wouldn’t provide relevant testimony regarding 1501’s album agreement.
“1501 does not seek to depose Perez for any legitimate reason and the posture of this dispute reveals that 1501’s hope is to avoid having its motion decided on the merits,” the legal team wrote. “The Court should not condone what is, at best, gamesmanship or, at worst, an abuse of the judicial process. Accordingly, the notice should be quashed and a protective order should issue.”