In response to a lyricist’s claims that he was cut out of millions in revenues from Brown’s hit songs ‘Sensational’ and ‘Monalisa,’ Chris Brown has reached a “settlement in principle.”
“The parties have reached a settlement in principle that will resolve plaintiff’s claims against defendants, as well as co-defendant Chris Brown, in their entirety,” read the filing.
According to a new court filing, the plaintiff, Steve Chokpelle, stated that the agreement would resolve all his claims against Brown and Universal Music Group, effectively removing them from the royalties lawsuit.
Chokpelle’s February filing claimed he was at the R&B singer’s Los Angeles home with fellow musician Sean Kingston in 2020 when Brown allegedly asked him to compose lyrics for a 2021 track titled ‘Monalisa.’
In his complaint, Chokpelle also alleged he penned the lyrics for the follow-up track, ‘Sensational,’ that credited Kingston and Nigerian singer Lojay as co-authors. Reaching #1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, the lawsuit alleged it generated more than $1,000,000.00 in revenue.
Asking for a court order declaring him an author and copyright owner of the two songs and damages from Brown, Kingston and Universal Music, among others. Chokpelle claimed the singer deprived him of proper credit for the songs and “his properly entitled compensation flowing from his role as author/owner of the lyrics”.
Chokpelle is still pursuing his related claims against Kingston, who is currently serving a 42-month prison sentence after he was convicted of fraud.
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: Pelpa Time Production