Lil Duval is responding to a lawsuit from his former friends who have accused him of stealing his hit record “Smile (Living My Best Life),” which they claim to have co-written with him.
The comedian denies that he stole the record from his friends and is asking that a judge dismiss their lawsuit altogether.
Darwin Quinn and Mitchelle’l Sium sued the 43-year-old on June 19th for copyright infringement, accusing Duval, whose real name is Roland Powell, of stealing a viral hit single that they all made. Sium, who is a professional singer/songwriter, and Quinn, a producer and music writer, alleged that they created the song in Quinn’s Atlanta home back in 2017, originally called “Back and Forth.” Duval and Sium wrote and recorded the words and melody to the song.
The duo claims that Duval then went behind their backs to work with another producer who later re-recorded the comedian turned singer performing the hook on a different beat. The new song featured the hook that the plaintiffs claimed to have helped write and featured Snoop Dogg, along with the new title.
Sium and Quinn said that their former friend ran off with the proceeds from the single.
In court documents filed last week, Duval said that even if he is found liable, any judgment amount should be reduced by debts he claims his ex-pals owe him. However, he didn’t deny that Quinn and Sium own the copyright on the record.
