(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop star Lizzo has emerged victorious after a judge shut down a lawsuit filed against her over the songwriting credits to her “Truth Hurts” hit.
The tune subsequently led to Lizzo creating “Truth Hurts,” but she insisted they “did not help me write any part” of her Grammy-winning track, and launched legal action to secure a declaratory judgment, preventing them from claiming any royalties.
The Raisens and Rothman fought back with their own “bad faith” suit, accusing the singer/rapper of the “unprincipled attempt to deny songwriting and producer credits and royalties” to the trio.
Now California’s U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee has dismissed their countersuit and sided with Lizzo, ruling, “A joint author of one copyrightable work does not automatically gain ownership of a derivative work in which the joint author had no hand in creating.”
In her decision, Gee notes that Healthy was created as a “standalone” song, and not simply as a demo for “Truth Hurts.”
However, the judge has given the three songwriters the opportunity to amend their legal action with new claims and different facts by 4 September, although she warns, “Inconsistent allegations may be used to undermine a litigant’s credibility.”
Justin Raisen’s attorney, Larry Iser, has since vowed to continue fighting the case, insisting the ruling is “only a temporary setback.”
“We will be submitting amended counterclaims, which will address the court’s concerns with our original pleading,” he adds in a statement issued to Pitchfork.com.
“We know the truth may hurt, but Lizzo will not be able to continue denying our clients’ substantial contributions to the Grammy winning song for much longer.”
“Truth Hurts” earned the star the 2020 Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance.
