Nicki Minaj is hashing out a deal with singer Tracy Chapman in an attempt to avoid going to trial.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Minaj and Chapman have informed the court they are trying to reach a settlement. The trial date is currently scheduled to begin on May 26, 2020.
The docs state, “the Parties are engaged in settlement discussions and believe that, with a modest extension of time in which to focus on settlement as opposed to discovery or trial-preparation, they may be able to resolve the present dispute without consuming further resources of this Court.”
Minaj’s lawyer says Chapman is asking for her attorney fees to be covered in the settlement. He notes, “One of the impediments to settlement is that attorneys’ fees are mounting, and plaintiff is seeking to recover her attorneys’ fees in this action. Thus, as the fees rise, the chances of reaching a settlement diminish. For this reason, I proposed extending the current case deadlines by two months, while we attempt to reach a resolution.”
The two are asking the court to push back deadlines and the trial date to allow them a chance to settle the case.
Last year, Chapman sued Minaj accusing her of copyright infringement. She claimed Minaj used a sample of her song “Baby Can I Hold You” on her track with Nas titled “Sorry.” She said Minaj never got permission to use the sample nor did she pay for it.
Minaj fired back denying all allegations of wrongdoing. She demanded the case be tossed out of court. Minaj admitted her team tried to get Chapman to clear the same and were denied.
Minaj admitted recording the song before getting permission. She said the song wasn’t put on her recent album “Queen” as a result of not having a clearance. The song was leaked by Funkmaster Flex, who posted it on social media, and it went viral. Minaj says she didn’t make money off the song because it was released for free.
She argues the use of the sample was fair use and claims Chapman doesn’t even own the copyright to her song. The case is ongoing.
Minaj is dealing with a separate court battle with her former stylist Maher Jridi. He sued accusing her of refusing to return $72,000 in designer clothes. He borrowed the items from a third party to style Minaj for several music videos, high-profile events and red carpets.
Minaj is countersuing the stylist claiming she overpaid him $12,000 and he refused to pay it back. The rapper said Jridi failed to properly take inventory of borrowed items and she did anything wrong. The case is still ongoing.
