Photo credit: Icebox / CC from 3.0
A copyright infringement lawsuit against Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug and Gunna has been settled out of court, according to signed legal documents made available to Digital Music News. Here’s the latest.
Sun City Publishing filed the lawsuit in January 2023, alleging that Blackout’s 1995 song “Dim Da Lights” was sampled on their collaborative track “Strawberry Peels.” Sun City Publishing claims the sample was used without permission, citing the Atlantic and Generation Now labels and Strawberry Peels producer Wheezy.
The song grossed over $1 million as a hit with more than 39 million streams on Spotify and four million views on YouTube. As a result, Sun City Publishing sought damages of at least that amount. Now it appears the case was dismissed in April 2023 after the matter was settled out of court.
“The court has been notified that this lawsuit has been settled. The court therefore orders that this action is hereby dismissed, without expense and without prejudice to the right to reopen the action for cause within 45 days if the settlement is not reached,” the statement by the District of United States said States court order signed by Judge Andre Birotte Jr. “This court retains full jurisdiction over this lawsuit and this order is not intended to prejudice any party to this lawsuit.”
While that settles the copyright infringement lawsuit, Young Thug and Gunna are still facing RICO charges in Atlanta. Prosecutors allege that the Young Slime Life (YSL) collective is a street gang behind several serious violent crimes in Atlanta. Gunna managed to secure his freedom in December 2022 by pleading guilty to racketeering charges while Young Thug remains in detention and faces trial.
The grand jury indictment identifies Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 other associates as members of the YSL gang and claims Young Thug is the leader. He founded the The life of a young stoner Rap label in 2016 as an imprint of 300 Entertainment.