Fat Joe and Remy Ma may have secured a victory in a longstanding lawsuit through the most unusual circumstances.
via: Vibe
Fat Joe and Remy Ma recently scored a victory in court, as a federal judge ruled that a musician who alleged that the duo cheated him out of ownership rights to their 2016 hit single, “All the Way Up,” had already signed his rights away. The plaintiff, Eric Elliott, who performs under the stage name Fly Havana, claims that he helped create the song with the help of rapper Infrared, who then took the track to Fat Joe, Remy Ma, and French Montana, who is also featured on the song.
“Elliott’s retrospective frustration at the amount of money notwithstanding, there is no dispute that Elliott signed the contract, assigning his rights to the song, while simultaneously receiving the $5,000 check from Fat Joe in exchange,” wrote U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald. However, Elliott contends that he was coerced to accept the payment and sign the contractual agreement during a meeting with Joe at a Miami IHOP due to being intimidated by his street ties and formidable reputation. While Joe allegedly claimed that Elliott would receive further compensation at a later date, that promise went unfulfilled, leading Elliott to file suit.
“Mr. Elliott had no idea that Fat Joe had told him a series of lies calculated to deceive Plaintiff, designed to relax his vigilance, and lull him in to a false sense of security,” the artist’s attorney wrote at the time. “He would never have taken the $5,000 or signed any document had he any inkling he was being double crossed.”
The song peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became a Top 10 hit for Joe and Remy on the R&B/Hip Hop chart. Revisit the single below.
