The case against Grammy Award-winning artist Lizzo for allegedly plagiarizing her No. 1 hit song “Truth Hurts” has been dismissed by a judge in the United States District Court Central District of California, according to documents retrieved by Pitchfork.
Lizzo originally filed a lawsuit against songwriters Justin Raisen, Jeremiah Raisen, and Yves Rothman in October. The named musicians claim they helped pen the hit song.
Justin alleged in a post on his Instagram that Lizzo jacked the “melody, lyrics, and chords” of a demo song called “Healthy” for her single “Truth Hurts.”
More specifically, the lyric: “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100 percent that bitch,” for a demo titled “Healthy.” That particular line, however, stems from a viral tweet and the originator of that tweet, Mina Lioness, has since been properly credited.
In February, they filed a countersuit against the pop star.
In Lizzo’s claim, she stated that “a joint author of one copyrightable work does not automatically gain ownership of a derivative work in which the joint author had no hand in creating,” and U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee agreed.
Even more so, the plaintiffs admit that the making of “Healthy” was a completed “standalone” song and not a demo.
Nevertheless, Judge Gee is allowing the plaintiffs to amend their suit with new facts, if they have them, and they must file the new suit or notify Lizzo and the court of their intent not to do so by September 4.
Justin Raisen’s attorney Larry Iser has confirmed his clients’ plan to continue on with the suit.
“The court’s decision to dismiss just one of our five counterclaims is only a temporary setback, as Judge Gee has granted us leave to amend our pleading,” Iser told Pitchfork via email. “We will be submitting amended counterclaims, which will address the court’s concerns with our original pleading. We know the truth may hurt, but Lizzo will not be able to continue denying our clients’ substantial contributions to the Grammy winning song for much longer.”