Missy Elliott has won the battle over royalties for Aaliyah’s song, “Heartbroken.”
According to reports, the judge dismissed the lawsuit against the rapper in a long dispute over co-ownership and royalties for Aaliyah’s songs. The lawsuit was originally started by songwriter Timothy Williams in 2018 for the aforementioned song which appeared on the late singer’s 1996 One In A Million.
Williams said that he worked with Elliott from 1993-1996 and co-wrote a lot of songs with her for artists such as Total, 702, and many more. He also claimed that he co-wrote Heartbroken and that the song was put on Aaliyah’s album without him receiving compensation or credit for it. Williams sued Elliott for getting recognition as a co-author, compensation for unjust enrichment, and damages for breach of contract.
However, the “Work It” rapper has denied Williams’ claim throughout all legal proceedings. After Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro reviewed the summary of the lawsuit and motions from both parties, she ruled in Elliott’s favor, using the three-year statute of limitations.
“Williams commenced this action against Elliott on November 14, 2018, over twenty-two years after the release of ‘Heartbroken.’ Under these circumstances, this Court further finds that Williams has failed to offer evidence that he exercised due diligence. As such, Williams’ co-ownership claim based on the song ‘Heartbroken’ released by Aaliyah is barred by the three-year statute of limitations,” Judge Alejandro said.
Although the judge ruled in Missy Elliott’s favor, she did deny the producer’s motion for summary judgment about Williams’ claims for songs used by the R&B group SISTA.