Prince in Paris, 2010 (photo: Nicolas Genin CC 2.0)
Prince’s estate filed a federal lawsuit against producer Ian Boxill just a day after Prince’s song called ‘Deliverance’ dropped.
The estate has now requested that the judge order Boxill to hand over $3,960,287.65 as damages for the unauthorized release.
In August, an arbitrator ruled that Boxill had breached his contract with Prince. Damages of $3 million will cover the cost of that breach, while the rest will go to cover expenses and attorney fees.
As part of the suit, Boxill is required to hand over any remaining Prince recordings currently in his possession.
Ian Boxill collaborated with Prince between 2006 and 2008 and announced plans to release six unreleased tracks last April.
Boxill planned to release ‘Deliverance’ through Rogue Music Alliance with “the majority” of sales benefitting his estate. Despite those plans, the estate decided to pursue legal action.
Shortly before the EP was due to drop, Prince’s estate received a restraining order to block the release of the EP. The estate eventually received a preliminary injunction to prevent the EP’s release indefinitely.
Prince’s estate argues that the contract between Boxill and Prince stated that Prince would own any copyrights created as a result of their collaborations. That clause meant Boxill could not release music without permission from Prince. Now that Prince has passed away, that permission falls to his estate.
“Mr. Boxill did not comply with his agreement,” the legal complaint asserts. “Instead, Mr. Boxill maintained copies of certain tracks, waited until after Prince’s tragic death, and is now attempting to release tracks without the authorization of the Estate and in violation of the agreement and applicable law.”
The new motion submitted by Prince’s estate aims to counteract Boxill’s attempt to have the previous ruling rejected by a court. The estate is seeking a judge to hold up the last agreement arbitration as a final ruling in the estate’s favor.