It has been twenty-three years since Aaliyah’s tragic death. Although the “One In A Million” singer isn’t here in the physical sense, her essence lives on through her acclaimed music catalog.
With the Aaliyah’s discography available on streaming, new fans are quickly discovering and sharing her beloved records, which means more generated revenue for her estate and former collaborators. Sadly for Missy Elliott, instead of celebrating this new era of Aaliyah appreciation, she has found herself fighting it out in court over royalties. But according to AllHipHop, Missy Elliott has secured a major legal win in the matter.
The “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” rapper and producer’s 2018 lawsuit with Terry Williams has temporarily swayed in Elliot’s favor. Williams presented his case for song co-authorship and royalties of thirty-four unpublished songs some odd songs. Now a judge has ruled that legally Aaliyah’s “Heartbroken” isn’t one of them due to the expired statute of limitations.
“Williams commenced this action against Elliott on November 14, 2018, over twenty-two years after the release of ‘Heartbroken,’” said the Judge Quiñones Alejandro. “Under these circumstances, this Court further finds that Williams has failed to offer evidence that he exercised due diligence. As such, Williams’ co-ownership claim based on the song ‘Heartbroken’ released by Aaliyah is barred by the three-year statute of limitations.”
The judge may have dismissed Williams claim on that track. However, their pair’s fight is from from over. Williams’ claims made against former hip-hop group SISTA’s use of his creative works made with Elliott, a then member, can still be heard by the courts.
Williams alleges that he and Elliott were collaborators between 1993 and 1996, where they worked on releases for acts 702, Total and more.
Terry Williams is seeking co-author credit on the tracks the pair supposedly worked on, damages for breach of contract, and compensation for unjust enrichment.
