Drake is making some progress as a judge allows him to request Kendrick Lamar‘s Universal Music Group (UMG) record deal in his “Not Like Us” defamation lawsuit while denying UMG’s request to delay discovery.
In a pre-trial conference in New York on Wednesday (April 2), a federal judge denied Universal Music Group’s request to delay discovery in Drake’s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Additionally, the order now allows the “God’s Plan” rapper and his legal team to ask for documents that UMG, a label Drake is also under, deemed “highly commercially sensitive,” such as Lamar’s record deal.
Ruling in Drake’s favor, Judge Jeanette Vargas stated that his team can begin deposing executives and requesting documents. The order arrives after UMG asked the judge last month to stay all discovery in the case. As mentioned, the discovery included “all contracts” between Kendrick Lamar and UMG. It also includes compensation and incentives, like salaries and bonuses for Interscope Chief Executive Officer John Janick and other executives.
UMG Requests Discovery Stay In Drake’s Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us” Defamation Lawsuit
UMG’s motion filed on March 18 stated that the company presented enough of a case for the judge to dismiss Drake’s lawsuit in its entirety. UMG further called their request an “undue burden” on the company. They claimed that Drake’s team requested for all contracts between them and Lamar, plus “the executive compensation structure and annual incentive plans for Interscope CEO John Janick for the past five years.”
UMG said the documents were “confidential, proprietary, and highly commercially sensitive.” The company added that Drake’s request would “require costly collection and review of large swaths of hard-copy and electronic data sets, contracts and agreements, and communications.” Despite its request, Judge Vargas denied UMG a discovery stay.
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Although Drake is now free to request these documents, it remains unclear how many UMG will have to turn over as discovery is still ongoing. As we previously shared, Drake sued UMG in January for defamation over the release of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” last year. The Toronto rapper claimed the Compton rapper defamed him by labeling him a “pedophile” on the track released by UMG.
Responding to the judge’s ruling, Drake’s lead attorney and partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, Mark Gottlieb, told Variety, “Now it’s time to see what UMG was so desperately trying to hide.” According to the judge’s order, oral arguments will begin on June 30.
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