Jermaine Dupri Drops $18M Royalty Lawsuit Against Sony Music

Jermaine Dupri is done fighting Sony Music in open court. Less than two months after filing an explosive lawsuit claiming he was owed $18 million in unpaid royalties, the veteran producer and So So Def founder has voluntarily dismissed the case. Dupri initially sued Sony in July, alleging the major label engaged in a "systemic pattern" of "contemptuous accounting practices" to shortchange him across classic catalog entries from Mariah Carey, Usher, and others. According to Billboard, Dupri's attorneys filed paperwork on Friday (August 28) to dismiss the action entirely, simply telling the judge that both parties had "resolved the matter." Neither camp is doing a victory lap in the press. An attorney for Dupri did not return requests for comment, while a Sony spokesperson declined to comment. A sudden dismissal with zero written explanation almost always points to a quiet settlement behind closed doors. Major labels rarely let aggressive royalty audits drag into public discovery when catalogs of this magnitude are on the line, and Dupri was smart enough to force their hand. The case is officially closed.