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Judie Worrell, widow of the late Bernie Worrell, founding keyboardist of Parliament-Funkadelic, told a Michigan federal judge on Friday that she should not face sanctions in an ongoing royalty dispute with bandleader George Clinton. She denied allegations of dishonesty related to a settlement agreement between her husband's estate and Westbound Records, arguing that the agreement was irrelevant to the dispute.

The estate’s legal team contested claims that Judie Worrell had lied during her deposition. They argued she was never directly asked about the royalties her husband's estate received from Westbound or about a December 2023 settlement agreement with the company. The estate stated that Clinton and his company, Thang Inc., had long been involved in contentious litigation with Westbound owner Armen Boladian, and that Clinton’s request for sanctions was an extension of that conflict. They also argued the sanctions request was an improper attempt to prolong the discovery process rather than support claims of bad faith.

“The motion filed by the defendants appears to be about many issues, including Clinton’s personal issues with Boladian,” the estate’s filing read. “However, it lacks merit and should not be granted.”

The estate clarified that the 2023 settlement, signed nearly 50 years after the creation of the works in question, did not affect the central issue of the case: whether Bernie Worrell co-authored and co-owned key sound recordings from the 1960s and 1970s and is entitled to royalties from those works.

In its 2022 lawsuit, the estate sought a declaratory judgment affirming that Bernie Worrell was a co-owner of the recordings and that Clinton and his company owed royalties. Westbound Records was previously named as a defendant in the suit before the estate reached its December 2023 settlement.

The settlement agreement, which was not disclosed until late last year, has become a point of contention. Clinton and Thang Inc. allege that the estate deliberately hid the existence of the settlement, citing Judie Worrell’s “perjured testimony.” They contend that they requested information about the agreement in October 2022 but received very little until November 2023, when the estate finally provided the document.

In their motion, Clinton and Thang argued that the delay in disclosing the settlement caused serious harm, including wasted resources spent defending against what they see as baseless claims. They also accused the estate of “malicious” actions to damage them financially and reputationally.

The estate countered by explaining that it had offered to produce the settlement agreement in October and ultimately complied with the court’s order to provide it in November, after Magistrate Judge David Grand ruled that both parties had to share their agreements related to the disputed recordings. The estate also pointed out that Clinton and Thang had not properly requested the settlement information and had ample opportunities to investigate it during depositions.

The estate further argued that Clinton and Thang’s claims of discovery abuse were exaggerated, and no real harm had been caused by the timing of the document’s disclosure. The defendants had already been able to question Boladian about the settlement, the estate noted, and they had failed to subpoena Westbound for the communications the estate believed were necessary for their case.

The 2023 settlement agreement with Westbound records royalties and does not affect the central issue of Worrell’s co-authorship status, the estate emphasized. The settlement merely preserved the estate’s ability to continue its claims against Clinton and Thang, and it did not resolve the larger dispute over royalties from the iconic 1960s and 1970s tracks.

Clinton and Thang’s allegations that the settlement agreement is essential for understanding damages were also contested by the estate. It clarified that it was not seeking damages in the case. Instead, the estate is focused on obtaining an accounting of the royalties owed from Clinton and his company, but not from Westbound.

In the ongoing legal battle, several record companies—SoundExchange, Universal Music, Warner Brothers, Sony, and Westbound—were initially named in the estate’s complaint but were later dismissed, with the understanding that they would abide by any court rulings or settlements. In January 2024, Judge F. Kay Behm dismissed SoundExchange from the case, determining that the estate’s alleged injury stemmed directly from Clinton and Thang Inc.

According to the estate’s complaint, Bernie Worrell’s contributions as a songwriter, musician, producer, and performer on many of the band’s 1970s and 1980s hits should entitle him to a share of the royalties generated by the songs, which have earned millions of dollars over the years. Clinton and the record companies involved have refused to pay the estate any royalties, the filing asserts.

This is not the first time the estate has sued Clinton. A prior lawsuit filed in New York state court, which claimed breach of contract and breach of the duty of good faith, was dismissed due to an unverified contract.

Attorneys representing the estate, George Clinton, and Thang Inc. were not immediately available for comment.

This case is Worrell v. Thang Inc. et al., case number 4:22-cv-11009, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.