Missy Elliott Faces Trial in Copyright Lawsuit, Aaliyah Claim Dismissed

Missy Elliott will face trial in a copyright lawsuit filed by Terry Williams, who claims to have co-written several of her early songs. However, a federal judge has dismissed Williams' claim regarding a song released by the late Aaliyah.

In a ruling on Tuesday, Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro refused to dismiss the lawsuit, stating that a jury will need to decide whether Williams collaborated with Elliott on numerous songs in the 1990s, as he alleges. Williams claims that despite his contributions, Elliott refused to credit him as a co-writer.

The judge's decision focuses on four songs released by the 1990s R&B group Sista, which Elliott's legal team argue she didn't work on with Williams. However, Williams disputes this, and Judge Alejandro stated that the conflicting evidence necessitates a jury trial to determine the truth.

“Considering these conflicting arguments and evidence, a genuine issue of material fact exists as to whether Williams and Elliott were working together at the time of the production of the SISTA album … and whether Williams’ contributions to the Unpublished Songs were used on derivative songs released on the album,” Judge Alejandro wrote.

Despite this, Judge Alejandro did dismiss Williams' claim regarding the 1996 Aaliyah song, "Heartbroken." This claim was based on Williams alleging that he and Elliott co-wrote the track but was not credited. However, the judge ruled that Williams waited too long to sue, as he was aware of the omission for decades.

Judge Alejandro stated that the statute of limitations for such a claim had passed due to Williams' knowledge of the issue and his continued involvement in the music industry, including collaborations with Elliott, after the song's release.

“Considering the success of Aaliyah’s <em>One in a Million</em> album, on which ‘Heartbroken’ was released, and Williams’ work in the music industry after the album’s release, including with Elliott, a reasonable person in Williams’ position would have been on notice of the use of his unpublished song in the purportedly derivative song Heartbroken by Aaliyah,” Judge Alejandro wrote.

This decision does not signify a victory for Williams in the lawsuit. The case will now proceed to trial, where Williams must present evidence supporting his claims to a jury. Both parties have declined to comment on the ruling.