Pharrell Wants Judge to Throw Out Chad Hugo’s Lawsuit

Pharrell wants a judge to throw out Chad Hugo’s lawsuit over unpaid Neptunes royalties.

After Chad sued his former production partner in January and filed multiple amendments, Skateboard P is now asking a judge to dismiss the case, which his legal team calls “vague and ambiguous.”

On Tuesday (Oct. 6), Pharrell’s attorneys filed a 34-page motion arguing that a judge should not let the matter go to trial due to a number of factors. According to the motion, Chad has failed to identify the copyrighted works he wants money for or provide facts to back up his claims of ownership.

“After years of dispute, three years of tolling, and three successive pleadings, those basic facts remain unidentified,” the motion reads. “In fact, as incomprehensible as it is, it appears that Hugo has no idea which compositions or sound recordings he supposedly authored even though he claims to have been there, right by Defendants’ side, the whole time.”

Pharrell’s team is asking that the copyright ownership and unpaid royalty claims be thrown out, and the remaining state-law claims, including breach of fiduciary duty, two accounting claims and relief over LLC operating agreements, be dismissed as well.

A hearing for Pharrell’s motion to dismiss is scheduled for Nov. 6.

Check out portions of Pharrell’s motion to dismiss Chad Hugo’s copyright and unpaid royalties lawsuit against him below.

See Excerpts From Pharrell’s Motion to Dismiss Chad Hugo’s Lawsuit