A judge has ruled that Megan Thee Stallion’s lawsuit against her record label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, can proceed to trial.
The rapper – whose real name is Megan Pete – filed the lawsuit against the company in February 2022 over the label’s definition of an album, accusing it of attempting to keep her locked in her contract.
1501 Certified Entertainment claims Pete’s 2021 compilation ‘Something For Thee Hotties’ release does not constitute an album under her recording contract because it featured recordings that had previously been released and allegedly “failed to follow the proper approval procedures”.
The label filed a motion in September arguing that the complaint should not go to trial because it did not consider ‘Something For Thee Hotties’ to be an album. Pete responded earlier this month, claiming that she had complied with the terms of the deal with the release of the album.
Megan Thee Stallion. Credit: Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Amazon Music
“Pete should be allowed her day in court to present evidence and testimony to the jury demonstrating that she has done all that was required of her in the delivery and release of her albums,” the rapper’s response said, per Rolling Stone. The star also argued that although the freestyles and skits on the record had been shared on YouTube, they had not been released in a commercially distributed format and, therefore, should not count as previously released material.
Now, a Harris County judge has rejected 1501 Certified Entertainment’s motion and ruled that the lawsuit can proceed to trial. Pete is seeking at least $1million (£829k) in damages.
NME has contacted representatives for 1501 Certified Entertainment for comment.
Meanwhile, last week (December 24), Tory Lanez was found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet following a party in July 2020.
Lanez was found guilty of all three charges against him, including one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, one count of carrying a concealed, loaded, and unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and one charge of discharging a firearm with gross negligence.