Photo credit:Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET
Chloe Bailey is currently being sued by a songwriter who claims she failed to pay him despite having played a ‘significant’ role on her latest album. According to Billboard, Melvin Moore, also known as “4rest” is suing the R&B singer, Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records for copyright infringement, fraudulent misrepresentation, violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), civil conspiracy and deceptive business practices.
Moore alleged that he was not paid, credited or compensated despite his contributions to “Favorite,” “Might As Well,” and “Same Lingerie” from the 26-year-old’s latest album Trouble In Paradise. Moore claims that the songs were inspired by his personal experiences he “did not grant consent to the commercial exploitation of the [songs].”
“The lyrical contributions to the works by [4Rest] were deeply personal and inspired by his lived experiences, making the unauthorized commercial exploitation of the works even more egregious,” stated the complaint, which was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and can be read in full here.
Moore claims he made efforts to resolve the issue before getting litigious, with “good- faith attempts” across “almost 200 days,” as well as issuing a DMCA takedown notice. Moore is seeking up to $150,000 in monetary damages for each intentional violation, a court order to prevent further commercial use of the songs, a full investigation into Bailey, Parkwood, and Columbia’s earnings from the alleged unauthorized use, and repayment of all related profits. Additionally, Moore is demanding a public retraction, proper credit, $5 million in punitive damages per song, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
“My journey as a songwriter has been one of immense struggle and perseverance. I’ve faced homelessness for two years, only to achieve homeownership 17 years later. These experiences have shaped my resilience. But even after overcoming these obstacles and achieving success, I find myself still fighting for basic fairness in how I am compensated for my work,” said Moore in a statement to Rolling Stone.
