Quincy Jones Awarded $9.4 Million From Michael Jackson's Estate in Royalties Lawsuit
Four years after filing a lawsuit against Michael Jackson's
estate, Quincy Jones is hearing the sweet sound of a
paycheck.
In 2013, the 84-year-old legendary music producer claimed in
a lawsuit that "clandestine arrangements" put in place served to
cheat him out of royalties he was due for his contributions to Jackson's earlier
work. Jones co-produced three of Jackson's most notable albums, Off the
Wall, Thriller and Bad.
According to court documents obtained by E! News at the time, Jones alleged
that the recordings he worked on were edited and remixed in a way to deprive
him of his deserved cut from projects like the This Is It documentary
and two Cirque du Soleil shows that utilized Jackson's music. He filed
against Sony Music Entertainment, Epic Records and MJJ Productions,
controlled by the singer's estate, for breach of contract and sought at
least $10 million in damages, a full accounting of what he was owed and
other unspecified compensation—the total request amounting to roughly $30 million.
During a two-week trial, attorneys debated the meaning of a
"record" included in two royalties contracts signed by Jones and how
they would apply to This Is It and the two live shows. On
Wednesday after a two-week trial, a jury awarded the 23-time Grammy winner
$9.42 million. "Although this judgement is not the full amount that I
was seeking, I am very grateful that the jury decided in our favor in this
matter," Jones said in a statement to Variety. "I view it not only as a victory
for myself personally, but for artists' rights overall."
"This lawsuit was never about Michael, it was about
protecting the integrity of the work we all did in the recording studio and the
legacy of what we created," he added.
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