Nelly Sued By Former Bandmates Over Credits And Royalties On 2000 'Country Grammar' Album
Nelly's former St. Lunatics band mates are suing the performer over royalty payments and credit dispute on his album 'Country Grammar.'
Back in 2000, Nelly released his debut album with the reported assistance from his former group, St. Lunatics. Now, 24 years after the release of the project, these lunatics are taking a stand.
According to 'Billboard,' Nelly — whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr — is being sued by St. Lunatics over exclusion from credits and royalty payments.
The group reportedly believed they would be credited while the album was in development and compensated afterwards. Reportedly, neither of these things happened. The suit alleges that, "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 was filed by nearly all of the members of the St. Lunatics including Ali Jones, Tohri Harper, Robert Kyjuan, and Lavell Webb. The only individual not listed as a plaintiff was Corey Edwards.
The suit alleges, "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."
All of the plaintiffs claim that Nelly, 49, "privately and publicly acknowledged that plaintiffs were the lyric writers." However, they were never officially named. Some members are listed as co-writers of various songs, but it does not expansively cover all that the St. Lunatics members claim to have done.
One concern with the case is the statute of limitations. There is a three-year limitation on copyright dispute ownerships.
However, the lead counsel for St. Lunatics has stated that, "We're not concerned about the statute of limitations and hope for a harmonious resolution. If not, we will pursue all legal remedies afforded to our clients."
