Pharrell Williams is being sued by former friend and longtime collaborator Chad Hugo, who alleges he has been denied the group’s royalties.
Pharrell Williams is being sued by his former Neptunes and N.E.R.D. partner, Chad Hugo, who accuses his former friend and collaborator of withholding money and failing to provide proper accounting of their company’s finances.
In a federal lawsuit filed in California on Jan. 23, Hugo—who describes his role in the Neptunes partnership as the “principal composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and producer responsible for programming, instrumentation, and overall sound design”—claims that Williams excluded him from their company and owes him up to $1 million from an N.E.R.D. album, Complex reports.
“Williams engaged in self-dealing, concealed material information, and … diverted revenues owed to plaintiff,” Hugo’s attorney, Brent J. Lehman, said. “Such willful, fraudulent, and malicious conduct warrants the imposition of punitive damages.”
“Plaintiff has not received his appropriate share of royalties in connection with The Neptunes and N.E.R.D.’s album sales and released music, as well as distributions from touring income, and various merchandising deals,” Lehman writes.
“The lawsuit filed is premature as there may not even be a dispute between the parties,” the rep said. “If the accounting review determines that money is owed, the appropriate party will pay it. Pharrell has consistently acted in good faith. He has great respect for Chad and looks forward to resolving this in a way that honors their shared history.”
Source: Black Enterprise
