ATLANTA — Jermaine Dupri, the Grammy-winning song-writer and performer from Atlanta, is suing Sony Music for nearly $20 million.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court, Dupri and his company, So-So Def Records, accused Sony of improperly reporting financial proceeds for songs Dupri helped write, produce or perform.
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Dupri’s music business, So-So Def Records, is based in Atlanta, according to the lawsuit filings.
Citing a 32-year business relationship with Sony, Dupri’s legal counsel said at least seven contracts between So-So Def Records and Sony had resulted in millions of dollars of harm to his company due to misreporting by Sony.
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Dupri’s lawsuit says Sony violated contracts between the companies by not correctly reporting royalties amounts for songs he worked on dating back to the 1990s.
Among the work cited in the case, Dupri’s legal counsel mentioned work he’d done with, musicians like Bow Wow, Jagged Edge, Bone Crusher, Anthony Hamilton, 3LW, J-Kwon, Fundisha, Tigah, ROC, Xscape, Da Brat and multiple other signed artists.
Dupri’s lawsuit said that underreporting by SME had harmed his business and caused him to not receive at least $18 million in royalties and proceeds from the work.
Taking the disagreement over what was owed to a New York federal court, Dupri is seeking the $18 million or more he believes is due, plus interest, attorneys fees and whatever other relief the Court decides is “just and equitable.”
Channel 2 Action News requested comment from Sony Music and is waiting for a response.
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