Chauncey Mahan, a sound engineer who worked with Jay Z on his Dynasty album from 1998 to 2002, is suing Jay Z for joint author credit on 45 songs, including "Big Pimpin", Billboard reports. According to the report, however, Jay Z is arguing that Mahan's lawsuit came too late and has filed a motion to have it dismissed.
Jay Z and Mahan were previously involved in an alleged extortion plot concerning master recordings that Jay Z's camp assumed went missing in 2002.
Mahan allegedly contacted Live Nation, the concert promotion company that is partnered with Jay Z on Roc Nation, and said he would either let the tapes go up for auction or accept $100,00 for them. The LAPD later took Mahan in for questioning and confiscated the tapes in his possession, which are believed to be worth $20 million.
Mahan later denied the extortion charges that were brought against him, claiming he'd repeatedly contacted Jay Z's representatives over the last 10 years to inform them that he was in possession of the recordings.
Ultimately, Mahan wasn't arrested, and Jay Z's representatives dropped the charges.
Still, the legal battle continues with the current allegation that Mahan is owed joint authorship credit on 45 of Jay Z's songs. Jay Z is arguing, essentially, that the lawsuit comes too late to be taken seriously.
According to Billboard, the memorandum in support of dismissing the lawsuit states:
"After 14 years of silence, Petitioner’s claims (and his attempt to use the federal courts as part of his shakedown scheme) are outrageous and wholly without merit. More significantly, for purposes of this Motion, the claims are plainly barred by the three-year statute of limitations contained in the Copyright Act, and have been for more than a decade."
The tapes are being held by the LAPD until a civil judge determines who rightfully owns them.
via Molly Beauchemin
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