Lil Durk Murder Trial, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Lawsuit, Bad Bunny Ruling & More Top Music Law News
In this week's Legal Beat newsletter, Lil Durk's day in court, a "Demon Hunters" trademark fight, Bad Bunny's big legal bill and much more.
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THE BIG STORY: Two years after he was indicted on murder-for-hire charges, Lil Durk finally went to trial in a Los Angeles federal courtroom — where prosecutors told jurors that the rapper put out a hit on rival Quando Rondo after becoming “consumed with revenge.”
The once-rising Chicago drill rapper stands accused of ordering members of his Only the Family (OTF) label crew to kill rival Rondo in retaliation for the 2020 killing of his close friend and collaborator King Von. Rondo was shot at a Los Angeles gas station in 2022 and survived, but another man known as Lul Pab was killed in the crossfire.
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In opening statements, Durk’s defense strategy quickly emerged: To pin the murder on co-defendant Kavon “Vonnie” Grant. They said Grant had access to Durk’s credit cards and had framed him once he was caught: “He thought, ‘Oh man, I’ve got an insurance policy,’” Durk’s attorney told the jury. “I’ve got a big fish I can give them.”
For more, go read Billboard’s explainer on the case and full coverage of the first day — which also featured argument over prosecutor’s controversial decision to use Durk’s rap lyrics as evidence. And stick with Billboard for updates as the trial moves ahead.
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Other top stories this week…
-Netflix was hit with a trademark lawsuit over the massively successful KPop Demon Hunters, filed by a Christian metal band that’s used the name Demon Hunter for decades.
–Bad Bunny won’t be repaid the $500,000 he spent beating a copyright lawsuit over a sample on Un Verano Sin Ti after a judge ruled that such a penalty was unwarranted and “would send the wrong message.”
-A settlement was reached in a lawsuit filed over Rihanna’s Smurfs movie song, a case that claimed Paramount never paid a songwriter for writing it because it was “mad” at the star for budget overruns.
-A California appeals court ruled that a woman who was scammed out of more than $300,000 by a Kenny Chesney impersonator can’t sue the country superstar.
–Ariana Grande won a court order allowing her to subpoena online platforms so that she can unmask the identities of hackers who she says have leaked her unreleased content.
-Sony Music filed a copyright case against Kroger claiming it illegally used songs by Harry Styles, SZA and other stars in TikTok and Instagram posts — the latest in a flood of such cases.
-A judge ruled Chris Brown must fork over money from his R&B Tour concerts with Usher to an ex-housekeeper who won a $13 million verdict after she was mauled by the singer’s dog.
-Robert Clivillés, one of the co-founders of C+C Music Factory, sued rapper Freedom Williams over control of the 1990s dance group’s name.
-The first week of the Tupac Shakur murder trial wrapped up after heated testimony and infamous recordings in which defendant Duane “Keffe D” Davis candidly discussed the shooting.
–Lady Gaga won a court ruling dismissing a lawsuit that claimed her Mayhem album infringed the trademarks of a surf company that sells a brand of Mayhem surfboards.
–FKA Twigs defeated trademark infringement claims over her stage name, with a judge ruling that an indie band named The Twigs forfeited its right to sue due to years of inaction.
-A judge refused to dismiss a copyright lawsuit filed against T.I. by hip-hop producer Sir Jinx over his work on the 2016 Dr. Dre collaboration “Dope.”
–Elton John and other celebs were ordered to repay a £9.54 million ($13 million) legal bill following the loss of their U.K. hacking lawsuit against the Daily Mail.
-A California appeals court seemed inclined to affirm the dismissal of Jay-Z’s extortion and defamation lawsuit against personal injury attorney Tony Buzbee.
–Los Lobos reached a settlement with Sony Music to end a lawsuit royalties for “Canción del Mariachi,” the band’s collaboration with Antonio Banderas from the 1995 Western Desperado.
