Dolly Parton Hit With Lawsuit Over Dollywood

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Dolly Parton’s company is being sued over music played at her famed amusement park Dollywood.

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Lee Mendelson Film Productions has filed a lawsuit against The Dollywood Company.

LMFP was founded by Lee Mendelson, an award-winning, executive television producer. Jason Mendelson and Glenn Mendelson are Co-Presidents of LMFP.

LMFP has also “created over thirty prime time network specials, including such stars as Paul Newman, Gene Kelly, Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby, Flip Wilson, Whoopi Goldberg, and Henry Fonda, among others.”

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They explain Dollywood is “associated with Ms. Dolly Parton, an immensely popular person, enormously successful musical performer and actress, well-known to millions of people in the United States and in other countries around the world.”

The suit states, “Defendant owns and operates an amusement and Theme Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, under the name Dollywood (the “Theme Park”). As alleged more fully below, Defendant has used the Infringed Work in the live theatrical production, “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” (the “Production”) at the Theme Park without a license in place for Dramatic Performances/Rights (“Dramatic Rights”).”

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Lee Mendelson accuses Dollywood of infringing on their copyright. The company is demanding $150,000 per infringement and attorney fees. The lawsuit is also seeking an injunction against Dollywood from playing their music.

The court documents read, “Plaintiff is entitled to receive the maximum amount of statutory damages for willful copyright infringement, $150,000, for each act of willful infringement.”

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Dollywood has been open since 1986 after the singer invested money into an amusement park named Silver Dollar City.