Beyoncé facing legal action following Jay-Z’s recent court win

Beyoncé is facing a new lawsuit after her record label company, Parkwood Entertainment, was sued for copyright infringement.

An artist, Melvin Moore, claimed Chloe Bailey, who is signed to the record label, used his work without permission in several of her songs.

A week after Jay-Z won a legal victory when a woman dropped her rape lawsuit against him, a new lawsuit was brought against Beyoncé’s label.

4Rest, also known as Moore, filed a lawsuit in New York accusing Parkwood Entertainment of various offenses, including fraudulent misrepresentation and violations of the DMCA.

According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Moore claimed to have made significant creative contributions to Bailey’s second album, “Trouble In Paradise.”

The 39-year-old alleged that Bailey “intentionally disregarded” the DMCA Violation and Cease and Desist notice he issued her before promoting songs like “Same Lingerie” on her Instagram page.

The plaintiff explained that his relationship with a woman inspired “Same Lingerie,” adding that he recorded the song’s original demos based on the woman’s “hesitations and emotional struggles following a previous relationship.”

Moore demanded punitive damages of $5 million for each song.

In addition to the punitive damages per song, Moore requested a jury trial and sought statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringement and $25,000 per DMCA violation.

He also pursued compensatory and punitive damages for willful copyright infringement, fraudulent misrepresentation, and civil conspiracy.

The California-based artist also accused Columbia Records, Music Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, ABC Corporation 1-10, and unidentified individuals referred to as John and Jane Does 1-10.

According to his claims, the defendants wrongfully took credit for his contributions, falsely registered the works under their names, and profited from them across various revenue-generating platforms without his consent.

An insider told the Daily Mail that Beyoncé was infuriated at how things had gone out of control, leading to Moore’s lawsuit.

They said, “Beyoncé is incensed that it has gone this far. This lawsuit is a terrible look for everyone involved.”

The source also claimed that communication between Bailey and Parkwood Entertainment had broken down in the weeks before Moore filed the lawsuit.

They also said the record label was “petrified of being drawn into a lawsuit about theft of intellectual property, especially after seeing how damaging the Marvin Gaye lawsuit was to Robin Thicke’s career.”

Beyoncé would have wanted to avoid another lawsuit, given the damaging effects of the one against her husband, Jay-Z.

In December 2024, Tony Buzbee filed a lawsuit against embattled rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs on behalf of an unidentified woman, who remained anonymous throughout the case.

Later, the suit was amended to include Jay-Z, claiming that he and Diddy took turns raping the alleged victim at an MTV Awards after-party in 2000 when she was 13.

After Jay-Z was included in the case, his legal team, led by Alex Spiro, went to great lengths to clear his name and questioned Buzbee’s credibility. The “99 Problems” crooner also denied the accusations, claiming Buzbee wanted to extort money from him.

Eventually, the rape accuser voluntarily dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning it could never be refiled in its current form.

The rape case took a great toll on Jay-Z and his family. In a statement released after his accuser dismissed the case, the rapper said it was traumatizing for his family.

He wrote, “The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones, and I have endured can never be dismissed.”

Meanwhile, an insider told the Daily Mail that Beyoncé was “relieved” by the outcome. They explained, “Relief is too simple a word to describe what Bey is feeling right now after Jay’s current legal issues were dropped.”

The source also shared that the family “brave faces behind the scenes,” seemingly by continuing with their lives despite the allegations.

However, as the case lingered on, Beyoncé became stressed as it brought back negative memories from the past and affected her and Jay-Z’s children due to the media attention and backlash.

With the rape case over, Beyoncé looked forward to her upcoming tour and other activities, though the lawsuit against her record label now brings another unwanted distraction.