A new compelling headline reveals that Jermaine Dupri has successfully resolved a $18M Sony Lawsuit, marking a significant shift in the legal battle following a protracted dispute concerning royalty payments.
This exclusive story details the culmination of a quiet court filing, where So So Def, Dupri and Sony Music Entertainment reached a settlement agreement before Sony could respond.
According to Cornell Law School’s Rule 41(a)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the action without prejudice, meaning Sony did not have to admit, deny, or publicly fight the claims prior to the case’s closure.
This dismissal is rooted in a detailed explanation of the rule, which allows plaintiffs to file a dismissal notice early in a case without the judge’s permission. The rule enables this early exit, opening the door for Dupri to potentially seek further action if the resolution is broken or if the agreement does not hold.
The filing reveals that the parties resolved the matter, but provides no settlement amount, payment schedule, or accounting fix. It keeps the door open for Dupri to potentially sue again if the private resolution breaks or if the deal does not hold.
“Prior to joinder,” the filing states that Sony had not yet joined the dispute by filing its formal answer to the complaint, meaning Sony had not yet formally responded to the claims.
The filing indicates that the parties resolved the matter, but gives no settlement amount, payment schedule or accounting fix.
AllHipHop broke the original story: the July 6 complaint accused Sony of shorting So So Def across a star-heavy catalog. The original case said Sony mishandled royalties tied to Xscape, Da Brat, Kris Kross, Jagged Edge, Usher, Mariah Carey, Bow Wow, J-Kwon and Bone Crusher.
“As it turns out, many of SME’s dealings with So-So Def have not been lawful and have harmed So-So Def in its business.”
Dupri said the problem surfaced after Sony issued new and amended royalty statements in 2023, then a desk audit followed. The Kris Kross claims carried the sharpest money trail because those first two albums drove a hidden accounting dispute.
“SME attempted to conceal all Kris Kross royalties due Plaintiffs for over 20 years in a separate royalty accounting system unknown to [So So Def]. SME pretextually claimed it was unaware of its failure to account to Plaintiffs. SME intentionally failed to account to [So So Def] to avoid paying millions of dollars to the [So So Def].”
The complaint claimed 2023 and 2024 royalty statements showed more than $33 million in foreign Kris Kross sales. Dupri said Sony still owed at least $2.2 million from Totally Krossed Out and Da Bomb.
Xscape and Da Brat had their own numbers, with Dupri claiming Sony underreported nearly $2 million from early albums.
“Given the systemic pattern of (1) underreporting royalties (2) failure of reporting royalites and (3) altering and/or updating statements to report previously earned royalties, SME has engaged in willful deceitful actions designed to harm Plaintiffs in their business.”
The lawsuit sought at least $18 million, interest, attorneys’ fees, and any other relief the court deemed fair.
Christopher Brown signed the August 28 dismissal notice for Dupri, So So Def Recordings and So So Def Productions.
Source: AllHipHop
