Pharrell Williams wants a judge to dismiss the lawsuit filed by his longtime Neptunes collaborator, Chad Hugo, arguing that his former creative partner still hasn’t identified which copyrights are allegedly at issue.
In a new court filing obtained by Rolling Stone, Williams’ attorneys slammed Hugo for repeatedly changing his allegations over three versions of the complaint.
“The [second amended complaint] is so vague and ambiguous with respect to the copyrights placed at issue that defendants cannot reasonably prepare a response,” the motion states.
According to Williams’ legal team, Hugo initially referenced N.E.R.D.’s album No One Ever Really Dies without naming specific songs. He later identified eight tracks, including Rosalía’s “Motomami” and “Cash In Cash Out,” before dropping them from his latest complaint.
Now, only EarthGang’s “U Gotta” is specifically named, although Williams’ attorneys argue Hugo hasn’t explained which copyrights he claims to own.
Hugo maintains that his contributions as a songwriter, producer, and performer were essential to their success, despite Williams receiving greater public recognition, and he also alleges he could be owed more than $1 million from No One Ever Really Dies alone.
Williams wants the court to dismiss the entire case, including claims involving financial accounting and fiduciary duties.