Juice WRLD and Yellowcard legal battle halted due to coronavirus
Yellowcard‘s legal battle against Juice WRLD‘s estate has been halted due to the coronavirus crisis, it has been reported.
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The US pop-punk outfit filed a lawsuit in October of last year, alleging that Juice WRLD’s ‘Lucid Dreams’ illegally sampled their 2006 song ‘Holly Wood Died’. They claimed that “melodic elements” in the two tracks were “virtually identical”.
Yellowcard put legal proceedings on pause following Juice WRLD’s death in December, resuming them a week and a half later. Back in February, the case was put on hold once again.
According to The Blast, the $15 million (£12m) suit has now been halted amid the current COVID-19 pandemic. Documents obtained by the outlet state court closures have resulted in Juice WRLD’s mother, Carmela Wallace, now being unable to press forward with proceedings.
It’s said that Wallace has been unsuccessful in getting a judge to sign off on her serving as the head of her late son’s estate. The suit will, therefore, be paused until these issues are worked out.
“Consequently, the Estate remains unable to participate in the case until a personal representative is appointed, thereby leaving Defendants unable to conduct a proper fact investigation or take any action on behalf of the Estate, whose participation is crucial to Defendants’ defenses,” reads a note (via Hot New Hip Hop).
United States District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall had agreed to the defendants’ requests for a stay until Juice WRLD’s estate could appoint an administrator in February. He had set a deadline of April 13 for a status update on the probate proceedings.
Yellowcard’s suit names ‘Lucid Dreams’ producers Taz Taylor and Nick Mira and the labels Interscope and Grade A Productions as co-defendants, as well as Juice WRLD’s estate.
Last week, Future opened up on his reaction to Juice WRLD’s death. “It was heartbreaking about Juice. Still to this day, I’m heartbroken,” he said.
