Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo put out some amazing music together as The Neptunes and N.E.R.D., but they now hold a contentious relationship over business issues, copyright infringement claims, and more. Hugo's lawsuit against Williams over alleged unpaid royalties and other matters is at the forefront of that dynamic right now, and it might fall apart for the former.
According to an exclusive AllHipHop report from Grouchy Greg Watkins, federal judge Andre Birotte Jr. issued an order that might result in the court dismissing Chad's lawsuit against his former collaborator. Reportedly, he failed to serve the codefendants in his case with papers within 90 days of the million-dollar suit's filing. These include Pharrell, N.E.R.D. Music LLC, Neptunes LLC, CH and PW Inc., PW and CH Inc., PW Branding Inc., PW IP Holdings LLC, and Talamasca Inc.
On Thursday (May 14), Judge Birotte Jr. reportedly gave Chad Hugo a deadline of May 22. This is to show cause and explain why he was unable to serve the codefendants. Hugo must now argue in favor of his multi-faceted case's continuation, or otherwise risk dismissal.
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Why Is Chad Hugo Suing Pharrell?
For those unaware, Chad Hugo is suing his Neptunes partner Pharrell for allegedly unpaid royalties connected to N.E.R.D.'s 2017 album No One Ever Really Dies. This followed a previous lawsuit over The Neptunes' name that remains unsolved in federal court. They reportedly haven't been on speaking terms for years now.
Hugo's claims against Williams also claim money is missing from N.E.R.D. and The Neptunes' general album sales, touring income, merchandising deals. Also, the lawsuit alleges uncredited production work. However, there's a chance the court may dismiss this lawsuit if it finds its claims to fall outside of the three-year statute of limitations posed by the United States Copyright Act.
Pharrell's team responded to Chad Hugo's lawsuit back in January of this year. They claimed "a standard accounting review is already in progress."
"The lawsuit filed is premature as there may not even be a dispute between the parties," they stated. "If the accounting review determines that money is owed, the appropriate party will pay it. Pharrell has consistently acted in good faith. He has great respect for Chad and looks forward to resolving this in a way that honors their shared history."
