The Hollywood Reporter covered Manatt’s representation of Sony/ATV and EMI in a royalties suit filed by Dru Hill, a 1990s R&B group. Robert Jacobs, co-chair of the firm’s entertainment, sports and media practice, and Prana Topper, a partner in the firm’s litigation practice, secured a victory for the music publishers when a New York federal judge dismissed with prejudice the claims filed against them.
The Dru Hill members sued EMI and Sony/ATV for breach of implied contract and declaratory relief, claiming their royalties had been wrongly paid.
U.S. district judge Alison Nathan agreed with Jacobs and Topper, finding the band members failed to allege that they had an implied contract with the defendants—but, even if they had, it would have been barred by New York's Statute of Frauds. The statute renders unenforceable unwritten agreements that are impossible, by their own terms, to complete within one year of their creation.
In addition to Jacobs and Topper, associate Maura Gierl also worked on the case.
Read the article here.