Quincy Jones Loses $6.9M In Michael Jackson Royalty Suit After Appeal
Legendary hitmaker Quincy Jones has lost $6.9M in his royalty suit against the Michael Jackson estate. After gaining a $9.4M victory back in 2017, an appellate court reversed the decision that gave Jones millions in royalties in a new appeal.
On Tuesday (May 5), the court ruled that MJ’s estate does not have to fork over the $6.9M in royalties and fees, this after a three-judge panel discovered that the 2017 trial judge, Michael L. Stern, allowed the jury to interpret Jones’ contract, instead of breaking it down himself for them to make a decision upon.
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Furthermore, back in 2017, Jones originally sought after $30 million in royalties and other income stemming from projects created after Jackson’s 2009 death; including remixes of his hits and the licensing of masters for ‘This Is It‘ concert film, two Cirque du Soleil shows and other revenue streams; but after a two-week trial, he was awarded $9.4 million. And now after the recent appeal, he will see $2.6 million.
Explaining the decision, Justice Judith Ashmann-Gerst, on behalf of a unanimous panel writes, “The language of section 4(a) cannot be tortured to mean that Jones’s maximum royalty rate increased proportionally if Jackson’s maximum royalty rate increased. The only compensation Jones was entitled to receive was royalties from record sales on remixes, and the evidence indicates he received them. If he wanted remixing fees, he had to negotiate them in separate agreements.”
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