Nelly Scores Legal Win as Judge Sanctions Lawyers Over “Frivolous” Lawsuit
Written by b87fm on 10/13/2025
Hip-hop star Nelly just scored a major courtroom victory. A lawsuit brought by former St. Lunatics member Ali K. Jones has been officially dismissed, with a U.S. judge blasting the legal team behind the case for pursuing claims “without legal merit.”
According to Complex, U.S. Judge Robert W. Lehrburger ruled that Jones’s lawyers should face sanctions after they pushed forward with a claim that was “patently time-barred.” Jones had accused Nelly of withholding royalties and credits tied to the rapper’s 2000 smash-hit album Country Grammar.
“It should have been patently obvious to Jones’s attorneys that his copyright ownership claim was time-barred,” Lehrburger wrote. “After being placed on notice that the ownership claim stood no chance of success, Jones did not withdraw his complaint. Instead, his attorneys doubled down and proceeded.”
The judge went even further, writing that Jones’s claim was groundless from day one.
In 2024, Jones alleged that Nelly had “manipulated” the St. Lunatics into believing they’d be paid royalties. But fellow members Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, and City Spud publicly distanced themselves from the lawsuit, stating they never authorized the case. They eventually withdrew in April, leaving Jones alone in the legal fight.
Nelly described the lawsuit as “vexatious” and “ridiculous,” and through his lawyer, Ken Freundlich, demanded penalties.
“Plaintiff’s counsel succeeded in its frivolous campaign aimed at forcing [Nelly] to spend money defending Plaintiff’s ridiculous time-barred claim,” Freundlich argued.
Judge Lehrburger agreed, ordering Jones’s legal team to cover Nelly’s legal fees incurred after the revised complaint was filed.
“This case sends a message to lawyers that there will be consequences for dragging a defendant into an action that is frivolous on its face and refusing to withdraw it,” Freundlich said in a statement to Billboard. “There is a lane for zealous advocacy, but when the case is time-barred according to a plaintiff’s own pleading, it has no place in the system.”
For Nelly, this legal win closes the book on a lawsuit that never should have made it this far — and serves as a warning to attorneys looking to revive dead claims.
