St. Lunatics Officially Retract From Nelly Lawsuit, But Legal Dispute Isn't Over Yet

BYGabriel Bras Nevares875 Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Syndication: Palm Beach Post
Nelly performs at SunFest on May 3, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. © GREG LOVETT/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It's a one-on-one now.

Nelly now has less headaches to worry about concerning a credits and royalties lawsuit against him from his group St. Lunatics. Moreover, lawyers reportedly removed three of the group's four other members from the lawsuit – specifically Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, and City Spud – on Friday (November 22). That means that only Ali seeks royalties from the St. Louis rapper's Country Grammar album. The three other members expressed months ago that they never consented to appearing as co-plaintiffs in the legal move.

In fact, Nelly and these St. Lunatics even performed together recently despite the dispute. For those unaware, the lawsuit alleged that Ashanti's boo falsely claimed that he and the label would pay them for their work on the 2000 classic. "Every time plaintiffs confronted defendant Haynes [he] would assure them as ‘friends’ he would never prevent them from receiving the financial success they were entitled to," the lawsuit claims. "Unfortunately, plaintiffs, reasonably believing that their friend and former band member would never steal credit for writing the original compositions, did not initially pursue any legal remedies." After this lawsuit surfaced, a lawyer for the three dissenting Lunatics sent a letter to the case's attorneys a week after its filing, indicating that the group members "informed me that they did not authorize [the lawyers] to include them as plaintiffs."

Nelly At A Phoenix Suns Game

Nov 10, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; A general view as special guest Nelly and Ashanti are introduced to the fans during a game between the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"They are hereby demanding you remove their names forthwith," N. Scott Rosenblum shared in their letter concerning the Nelly and St. Lunatics case. "Failure to do so will cause them to explore any and all legal remedies available to them." According to Billboard, on Friday, Ali's lawyers removed Lee, Kyjuan, and Spud as plaintiffs, but they also added more allegations and claims to their case. For example, Ali now sues HarbourView Equity Partners due to their business with the "Hot In Herre" MC. He sold his catalog to the company last summer for $50 million, and this "substantial transaction" apparently led to this legal move.

"At this juncture, it became apparent that, notwithstanding defendant Haynes’ repeated assurances … defendant would not fulfill his longstanding promises to compensate plaintiff," Ali's attorney's wrote of Nelly.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
...