Chad Hugo, Pharrell Williams’ former production partner in The Neptunes, has escalated his legal dispute against Williams beyond a royalty claim.
Hugo filed an amended complaint in February, challenging songwriting and production credits on eight tracks, including songs by Rosalía and tracks featuring Latto and Tyler, the Creator.
On January 23, Hugo sued Williams in the US District Court for the Central District of California, claiming that he is owed between $325,000 and $575,000, with potential damages exceeding about $750,000 to $1 million for their No One Ever Really Dies album alone.
In the original filing, which you can read here, Hugo accused Williams of denying him access to financial records and royalty documentation despite repeated requests dating back to 2021.
Hugo and Williams founded The Neptunes in the early 1990s and have since produced hits for Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, and other artists.
In 1999, they formed an artist project called N.E.R.D. with Sheldon Haley, releasing five albums including their 2001 debut In Search Of…
Hugo’s January complaint said: “These recordings and related activities generated revenues from released albums and music, publishing, touring, merchandise, synchronization, and brand collaborations, all of which were enabled in substantial part by Plaintiff’s contributions as a writer, producer, arranger, and performer.”
The amended filing, which you can read here, expanded Hugo’s claims, alleging that he was left off songwriter credits on eight tracks he helped create. These tracks include Rosalía’s Motomami and La Combi Versace, as well as Williams’ tracks Cash In Cash Out, Love is Not Written, Pure, Real One feat. Latto, and tracks by Nigo featuring Tyler, the Creator: Lost and Found and Freestyle.
Hugo’s legal team wrote: “[Hugo] possesses substantial copyright interests in musical compositions and sound recordings created as part of his work with Defendant Williams as The Neptunes.”
“[Hugo] and Defendant Williams, operating as The Neptunes, have created numerous joint works over their decades of collaboration, with the mutual intention that their respective contributions would be merged into unified musical works.”
Chad Hugo’s Amended Complaint
“[Hugo] and Defendant Williams, operating as The Neptunes, have created numerous joint works over their decades of collaboration, with the mutual intention that their respective contributions would be merged into unified musical works,” according to the latest court document.
In the amended complaint, Hugo describes himself as the “principal composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and producer responsible for programming, instrumentation, and overall sound design” of the duo, while Williams “more frequently appeared as the public-facing member.”
Hugo argued that while he contributed to the eight tracks “with mutual understanding and intention that his contributions would be credited,” Williams allegedly failed to give him credit on such works.
The lawsuit also alleges that Williams has denied Hugo’s status as a joint author and co-owner of the copyrights.
Forbes reported last week that Hugo’s copyright claims face a challenge as most of the songs were released in 2022, falling outside the three-year statute of limitations under the U.S. Copyright Act. The Copyright Act bars ownership disputes filed more than three years after a work’s release. Hugo’s amended complaint was filed more than three years after those songs came out, the report said.
Forbes said the copyright claim may have been added due to jurisdictional concerns raised by US District Judge Andre Birotte, who ordered Hugo’s legal team to explain why the case belonged in federal court. Hugo’s original claims, such as breach of fiduciary duty, are state law claims that belong in state court, the news outlet said.
Adding a federal copyright claim keeps the case in federal court, at least for now. If those claims don’t hold up in federal court, the case would likely need to move to state court, Forbes said.
This marks Hugo’s second lawsuit against Williams. In 2024, he accused Williams of attempting to “fraudulently” control The Neptunes trademark.
The Neptunes business has also drawn scrutiny prior to the lawsuits. In 2020, singer Kelis claimed that she was “blatantly lied to and tricked” about royalties for her 1999 debut album Kaleidoscope, produced by The Neptunes.
Kelis told The Guardian in 2020: “Their argument is: ‘Well, you signed it.’ I’m like: ‘Yeah, I signed what I was told, and I was too young and too stupid to double-check it.’”
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