In late 2019, Lizzo was hit with a lawsuit over her breakout hit song, “Truth Hurts.” The suit was filed by Justin Raisen, Jeremiah Raisen, and Justin “Yves” Rothman who claimed that lyrics from Lizzo’s hit came from a track they previously worked on together titled “Healthy.” The trio was not happy that they were not credited on “Truth Hurts” despite the borrowed lyrics that allegedly appear on the song. In a statement that was given in response to the lawsuit, Lizzo said the trio “did not co-author ‘Truth Hurts,’ and have no right to co-own that work or to share in its profits.”
In August 2020, U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee sided with Lizzo’s claim that “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.” However, Judge Gee allowed the trio that sued Lizzo to amend their lawsuit and refile, which they did. Now, more than 18 months later, both sides have reached a settlement in the matter.
According to Rolling Stone, a federal judge moved to dismiss the lawsuit after attorneys on both sides said that their respective clients had reached a settlement. The terms of the deal were not revealed, but each side will have to pay its own legal fees. The attorneys requested a “dismissal of the entire action without prejudice.”
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. .
