Adam Levine Lands In Legal Trouble After Plea For Hurricane Relief Donations Backfires

Adam Levine has been slammed with a copyright infringement lawsuit over a well-meaning post he shared six years ago.

Just last year, the rhythm guitarist and his wife, Behati Prinsloo, were dragged to court over a negligence claim filed by an ex-employee.

Despite his legal drama, Levine is set to feature as a coach on the newest season of the hit reality show, "The Voice." 

In 2019, Levine urged his Instagram followers to donate to victims of Hurricane Dorian, a catastrophic cyclone that hit the Bahamas in September. 

The singer's post comprised a video that detailed the damage caused by the hurricane. He shared the video on his Instagram carousel on September 6, asking people to contribute to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. 

As reported by Billboard, the video was originally published by Michael Brandon Clement three days before Levine posted it.

Despite his well-meaning actions, the "Maroon 5" singer has now been served a copyright infringement suit by Global Weather Productions LLC, a video licensing company. The company alleges that Levine didn't buy a license for the video before sharing it on social media six years ago. 

The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, July 28, 2025, claims that Global Weather Productions owns the video Levine posted. 

According to the video company's claims, filing a lawsuit was not its first option. Its representatives allege that they reached out to the 46-year-old artist in April and May and tried to settle the matter without going to court.

However, they didn't get a response from him. Excerpts of the lawsuit read:

“Despite plaintiff’s efforts and willingness to address defendant’s infringing activity, defendant failed to respond, and plaintiff was forced to seek judicial intervention for defendant’s infringing activity.” 

Global Weather Productions is now seeking damages for the alleged infringement, and Levine could be forced to pay as high as $150,000 if he loses the case.

Notably, this is not Levine's first time finding himself in legal trouble. Just last year, he and his wife, Behati Prinsloo, were taken to court by Shana Kallen, a decorator. 

Kallen, an expert in the home decor business, was hired by the couple to beautify specific areas of their home with plants and flowers. However, The Blast reported that Kallen sued the singer and his wife for failing to provide a safe environment for her to complete the job.

The interior designer claimed that she was stopped from using the master bedroom entrance to access a certain space and had to use a ladder instead. The ladder was supposedly too short, leading to a hard fall that left her sprawled on the concrete floor. 

Kallen alleged that she suffered a long list of injuries, including loss of sense, taste, and smell, and traumatic brain injury. She added that she may supposedly end up with a permanent disability in addition to the emotional and physical trauma she faced. 

The decorator requested that Levine and his wife cover the cost of the lawsuit and compensate for her financial loss, among other demands. 

Despite facing legal trouble on multiple fronts, the "Payphone" singer's career is still as strong as ever. He is set to feature in the 29th season of "The Voice," which will air in 2026.

The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Levine will be joined by two other popular faces, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson. The new season will premiere in February 2026, and the show will be filmed in Los Angeles. 

Notably, the newest season of "The Voice" will feature some format changes, including a "Triple Turn Challenge" and an "In-Season All-Star Competition." 

Despite Levine's continued success on "The Voice," his time on the reality show temporarily came to an end in 2019 following a controversial exit. 

According to The Blast, the "Girls Like You" singer left the show because he needed to spend more time with his family. He also stated that he felt like it was "the right time" to go. 

Although his initial exit seemed permanent, Levine surprised fans worldwide by announcing that he was returning to the show in 2024.

He shared a video saying, "Yeah, we're back. We're coming back. I'm coming back is what I mean. I'm so excited. I cannot wait. I'm well-rested, I'm ready to go."