Nicki Minaj‘s court battle with Tracy Chapman may soon be coming to an end, as court documents state that the two artists are hoping to settle Tracy’s lawsuit filed against Nicki last year for copyright infringement. According to The Blast, Nicki and Tracy are in the midst of working out an agreement in regards to the case, which has a scheduled trial date of May 26, 2020. The documents state, “the Parties are engaged in settlement discussions and believe that, with a modest extension of time in which to focus on settlement as opposed to discovery or trial-preparation, they may be able to resolve the present dispute without consuming further resources of this Court.” Both parties are asking the court to push back the trial date and subsequent deadlines in order for them to have a chance to settle the case.
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Nicki’s lawyer has indicated that Tracy is asking for her attorney fees to be covered in the settlement. “One of the impediments to settlement is that attorneys’ fees are mounting, and plaintiff is seeking to recover her attorneys’ fees in this action,” he notes. “Thus, as the fees rise, the chances of reaching a settlement diminish. For this reason, I proposed extending the current case deadlines by two months, while we attempt to reach a resolution.”
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The whole ordeal began when Tracy accused Nicki of using a sample of her song, “Baby Can I Hold You” on her own track with Nas, “Sorry,” without permission or compensation. Nicki denied these allegations and demanded that the case be tossed out, to no avail. Nicki admitted to recording the song prior to ever receiving permission to use the sample, but because the sample never cleared, she did not include “Sorry” on her 2018 album, Queen. However, the song was ultimately leaked by Funkmaster Flex on social media, an act that was out of Nicki’s control. She pointed out that she made zero profits from the song because it was released for free. Nicki believes the sample was fair use, and noted that Tracy doesn’t even own the copyright to “Baby Can I Hold You.” Stay tuned for updates on the ongoing case and news about their settlement.
