All is finally well in the Nelly and St. Lunatics universe.
Nelly is officially off the hook in the $50 million lawsuit filed by Ali on behalf of the St. Lunatics. The case centered on allegations that Nelly withheld royalties from his “Country Grammar” album. However, group members Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, and City Spud quickly distanced themselves from the suit, claiming they never consented to it.
According to Billboard, Ali moved to drop the lawsuit on April 10th. It’s unclear if a settlement was reached, but Nelly’s legal team isn’t ready to let it go just yet. “The Court is respectfully requested to retain jurisdiction and set a briefing and hearing schedule for [potential sanctions],” they wrote, calling the suit a “frivolous campaign.”
The original complaint accused Nelly of deception: “Every time plaintiffs confronted defendant Haynes [Nelly], [he] would assure them as ‘friends’ he would never prevent them from receiving the financial success they were entitled to.” It added, “Plaintiffs, reasonably believing that their friend and former band member would never steal credit… did not initially pursue any legal remedies.”
The drama peaked after Nelly sold his catalog for $50 million. Shortly after, Ali claimed he was owed over $90,000.
“When that conversation happens, I’ll get a check. It’ll be $13,000… What is this $13,000 for?” he told VladTV.
Meanwhile, the rest of the St. Lunatics reunited with Nelly at the 2024 American Music Awards and demanded to be removed from the lawsuit.
