Nelly was just awarded $67,586 after a federal judge ruled that his legal defense against Ali Jones’ baseless copyright claims was merited.
Nelly just received $67,586 from his legal team’s work defending himself against what a federal judge called a completely baseless copyright claim.
U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ruled on May 28 that the rapper’s attorneys deserve reasonable compensation for the time they spent fighting a frivolous lawsuit filed by former St. Lunatics member Ali Jones.
The entire situation dates back to September 2024, when Ali filed a lawsuit claiming he was deprived of royalties and royalties from Nelly’s 2000 breakthrough album Country Grammar.
Three other Saint Lunatis members initially joined the lawsuit but quickly withdrew, saying they never authorized it.
Ali came forward on his own, demanding $50 million and claiming Nellie had manipulated the organization over compensation. The case went nowhere legally because the claims were statute-of-limits, meaning they should have been filed years earlier.
Ali’s legal team, led by attorney Precious Felder, vigorously opposed paying Nellie’s fees.
They argued the billing records were vague, included paperwork, and showed too many hours worked. Judge Marrero isn’t buying the bill.
He found the hourly rates to be reasonable: $725 an hour for Kenneth Freundlich, $575 an hour for Jonah Grossbardt, and $375 an hour for Hugh Rosenberg.
The judge slashed the original request from $84,482.50 to $67,586, a 20 percent cut that was half due to vague entries and half due to administrative tasks.
The ruling is significant in that it reinforces the principle that judges will not tolerate lawyers dragging defendants around in baseless cases.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger had recommended sanctions, finding that Felder “maliciously and unreasonably delayed the proceedings” and “doubled his efforts” after being told the case had no merit.
The court rejected claims that Nellie’s team was overstaffed, finding it reasonable to have multiple attorneys with varying levels of experience handling applications and motions.
The breakdown shows Freundlich Law received $12,006, Grossbardt received $45,080 and Rosenberg received $10,500.
Nelly is required to certify in writing upon receipt of payment.
