Pharrell Williams seeks dismissal of Chad Hugo copyright lawsuit

Pharrell Williams has filed a motion to dismiss a copyright lawsuit brought by his former Neptunes partner, Chad Hugo. Williams’ legal team argues that Hugo’s amended complaint is “vague and ambiguous,” making it impossible to respond effectively because it fails to specify which musical compositions or sound recordings Hugo claims to have authored.

The legal dispute has spanned several years and multiple versions of the complaint. While Hugo previously identified eight specific songs—including tracks by Rosalía, Latto, and Tyler, the Creator—those songs were omitted in the most recent filing. The current iteration of the lawsuit only names EarthGang’s track “U Gotta,” yet it does not clarify if Hugo is asserting rights to the lyrics, the musical composition, the sound recording, or specific instrumental performances.

Williams contends that without a legitimate federal copyright claim, Hugo’s related state-law allegations, such as breach of fiduciary duty and accounting issues, should also be dismissed. If the court grants the dismissal, Hugo would have the option to pursue those state-level claims in state court.