Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s widow suing Wu-Tang Clan over unpaid royalties
Icelene Jones, the widow of Ol' Dirty Bastard, has sued Wu-Tang Clan Productions, saying that they owe ODB's estate at least $1 million in unpaid royalties, Variety reports. According to the suit, royalties were not paid to the estate by Wu-Tang Clan Productions from 2011 until July of 2021, when they received a check for $130,000. The estate also received payments from Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp, in 2019 and 2020, but allege they are owed far more, pointing to the terms of a 1992 agreement, under which Variety says "ODB was to be paid 50% of net earnings on the publishing of his copyrighted songs. The members of the group were also to split 50% of net earnings from the sound recordings."
In the suit, Jones says the estate has not received accounting statements as requested, along with payment, over the last decade. They are also owed royalties on merchandise and videos, according to the suit.
The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday (2/8) in New York Supreme Court. Read it in full on Variety.