Lizzo is most likely feelin' good as hell after a California federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against her by two songwriters who say they helped create "Truth Hurts."
Lizzo hit first in October 2019, asking the court for a declaration that brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen did not co-write her Grammy-winning hit song and therefore aren't entitled to any of its profits.
The songwriters countersued in February, arguing that "Truth Hurts" is a derivative work based on a song called "Healthy" that they created with the artist in early 2017.
She maintains the only significant thing to come out of that session was the line "I just did a DNA test turns out I’m a hundred per cent that bitch" which was inspired by a viral tweet that another songwriter present (Jesse Saint John Geller, who isn't part of the litigation) brought up to the group.
After news of the dispute broke, Lizzo ripped the brothers for claiming they helped her write the song but gave the woman who wrote that tweet songwriting credit.
U.S. District Court Dolly M. Gee on Friday granted Lizzo's motion to dismiss the brothers' counterclaims, agreeing with the artist that a "joint author of one copyrightable work does not automatically gain ownership of a derivative work."
"Without deciding who, in fact, authored the songs at issue, and without reviewing the songs’ recordings or lyrics, the Court can determine that Counterclaimants allege that the parties collaborated on, and finalized, one song -- Healthy -- before Lizzo allegedly copied portions of that song to make Truth Hurts," writes Gee.
"As a matter of law, therefore, even if Counterclaimants are co-authors of Healthy, they have not alleged any ownership interest in Truth Hurts, which they claim is a derivative work of Healthy."
But Gee is allowing the Raisens leave to amend, finding that a section of their opposition to Lizzo's suit indicates "they now intend to allege that their collaboration with Lizzo in creating Healthy was part and parcel of the creative process that led to a single finished work, Truth Hurts."
She doesn't seem convinced, though, that an amendment will make much difference.
"The facts that Counterclaimants set out in their pleading -- that the parties created one finished product, Healthy, and Lizzo 'derived' or 'copied' elements of Healthy to make a second finished product, Truth Hurts -- are irreconcilably inconsistent with the facts as the Opposition now conceives them -- that, all along, the parties intended Healthy to be merely a part of the process of creating a single finished product, Truth Hurts," writes Gee.
She notes "the parties do not address the impact of this contradiction in their papers" but, in the interest of caution, she's giving them a shot and warns "inconsistent allegations may be used to undermine a litigant’s credibility."
She also struck several of the writers' affirmative defenses to Lizzo's suit, finding them either boilerplate or irrelevant to the claims at issue.
Latest Stories
-
Passion Air announces significant flight disruptions over fuel shortage
15 minutes -
95% of Ghanaians believe country’s macroeconomic performance met expectations in half-year 2025 – PwC
30 minutes -
PUSAG commends gov’t and SLTF for ‘historic’ disbursement to private university students
43 minutes -
We will take decisive measures to halt dollarisation of the economy- BoG Governor assures
1 hour -
Assistant who accused Kanye West of sexual assault ‘in hiding’, lawyer says
1 hour -
NPA holds second stakeholder consultation on draft petroleum consumer complaint guidelines
2 hours -
We were the ones who chased Mahama out in 2016 – Prof. Gyampo
2 hours -
Ntonso residents storm quarry in fiery protest
2 hours -
JoyNews Investigates: Banned EU agrochemicals flood Ghanaian cocoa farms amid smuggling, counterfeiting and health risks
2 hours -
BOST, TOR sign MoU to strengthen Ghana’s downstream sector
3 hours -
Black Sherif lights up Accra with ‘Share a Coke’ with epic concert experience
3 hours -
Today’s Front pages : Thursday , July 24, 2025
3 hours -
Why competition policy and law matters to Ghana’s 24-Hour+ policy
3 hours -
Education Minister inaugurates UENR governing council
4 hours -
Parliament must act now on anti-witchcraft bill – CHRAJ warns of escalating attacks
4 hours