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The case, which the rapper’s attorneys called “ridiculous,” had “no chance of success” and the lawyers who filed it should be punished, a judge says. Nelly at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards held at the Dolby Theatre on March 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Christopher Polk for Variety. A federal judge says Nelly should be reimbursed for hefty legal bills he spent defeating a “baseless” and “frivolous” lawsuit filed by one of his former St. Lunatics bandmates. The case claimed that Nelly owed ex-bandmate Ali a cut of royalties from the rapper’s debut album Country Grammar. But the action was dropped earlier this year after Nelly’s attorneys argued it was obviously filed years after the statute of limitations had...Read More

In the ongoing copyright battle between Katy Perry and Marcus Gray, a group of leading musicologists represented by Kenneth Freundlich of Freundlich Law have sought leave to file an amicus brief (a copy of which can be found here) in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals supporting District Judge Christina Snyder’s decision reversing a jury’s $2.8M verdict against Ms. Perry. The appeal is captioned Marcus Gray (p/k/a Flame), et al. v. Kathryrn Elizabeth Hudson (p/k/a Katy Perry), et al., Ninth Cir. Dkt. No. 20-5540. In their amicus brief, the musicologists are asking the Ninth Circuit to affirm Judge Snyder’s decision because “Judge Snyder fulfilled her duties to a ‘t’ in reversing this errant jury verdict and setting the law straight...Read More

Freundlich Law congratulates its founding principal Kenneth D. Freundlich on being included in Billboard’s “Top Music Lawyers 2021” list. This issue of Billboard recognizes the most influential, well-known, and well-respected attorneys in the world of music and entertainment law. With 35 years of experience, Ken Freundlich is a seasoned entertainment and business litigator licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of New York and California (among other courts). He has had notable successes in trials, arbitrations, and administrative and appellate proceedings in various settings ranging from California Labor Commission proceedings, to IFTA, Guild, and AAA/JAMS arbitrations, to Copyright Rate Court proceedings, and to trial and appellate courts (including the United States Supreme Court). Ken’s diverse list of music...Read More