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Yoko Ono sues EMI for $10M
John Lennon's widow accuses UK label giant of "willfully and knowingly underreporting royalties" of sales of her late husband's music.
The Beatles' 27-year battle with EMI over royalties took another turn yesterday as Yoko Ono filed a $10 million lawsuit against the UK label giant and its subsidiary Capitol Records, accusing the companies of cheating her out of royalties from sales of the solo material of her late husband, John Lennon.
Yoko Ono
In the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, Ono accuses the companies of violating a half-dozen agreements by "willfully and knowingly underreporting royalties" by hiding the "true use and disposition of Lennon's recordings." The lawsuit also charges EMI with "intentionally and systematically rendering dishonest and grossly deficient accounting statements."
The lawsuit follows on the heels of a New York State Supreme Court decision in August to allow a similar lawsuit by Beatles' record company Apple Corps' lawsuit against EMI to proceed. That suit seeks $25 million and accuses the label of fraud and breach of contract.
In the ongoing battle that dates back to 1979 when the legendary band first accused the label of withholding earnings, EMI has already paid Apple Corp two prior settlement payments, one of which was for $35 million. In the current Beatles' case, Apple Corps hopes to reclaim rights to all the master recordings by the band. EMI is appealing that case.
A spokeswoman for EMI/Capitol, Jeanne Meyer, decline to discuss Ono's lawsuit specifically with the Associated Press, saying only, "Artists from time to time request audits of their royalty accounts. Sometimes there are differences of opinion, which is understandable given the complex nature of recording contracts."
Meyer said the contracts are sometimes subject to interpretation "but 99 times out of 100 these things are resolved in an amicable way."
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