Judge Throws Out Part of Limp Bizkit’s Lawsuit Against Universal Music Group
Fred Durst might be looking for something to break right now. The Limp Bizkit frontman’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) has hit an unfortunate snag in court as recent reports show that the judge in the case ruled that the group can’t void their contract with the label.
You’ll remember that, back in October, Durst filed a lawsuit against UMG claiming that the label owed him and his band over $200 million in unpaid royalties. The lawsuit came after Durst hired new management who found some serious discrepancies in Durst’s financial records. The lawsuit sought, not only the royalties, but also a voiding of their contract with UMG, the return of their copyrights, and copyright infringement damages.
According to Rolling Stone, on January 17, the judge pointed to the millions in royalties and advances that UMG had paid the group as the reason why the band had failed to back up their claim. Judge Percy Anderson wrote in the decision:
“The Court therefore concludes that Plaintiffs have not plausibly alleged the type of ‘substantial’ or ‘total failure’ in the performance of the contracts that could support rescission of the parties’ agreements.”
Rolling Stone also reports that the judge ruled that Limp Bizkit’s copyright infringement and declaratory relief claims hinged entirely on the rescission claims and, therefore, those were thrown out as well. While this doesn’t mark the end of the proceedings, it’s certainly a substantial setback in Limp Bizkit’s case.
In a statement, Limp Bizkit’s attorney Frank Seddigh said:
“The Court on ruled on three of our claims against Universal and gave us the opportunity to amend our complaint further — in order to keep litigating in Federal Court. The facts speak for themselves. Universal will be held accountable for its actions and will not get away with its conduct at the expense of artists.”
The band now has until February 3 to file an amended complaint and, if the amended complaint doesn’t contain a copyright infringement claim, it will be thrown out and the band will be forced to file in a different court system.
