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Usher Song Credit Suit Outcome; Suit Over Led Zeppelin Song Gets Retrial
Usher
A man claiming to have been cheated out of credit for writing a song that was eventually recorded by R&B star Usher won a more than $40 million judgment in a combined verdict and settlement against two men he co-wrote the song with. The award, which included a $27 million verdict and a $17.35 million stipulated judgment that was part of a broader settlement, was entered in a Philadelphia state court last month. Marino v. Barton, 160500051((Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas Phila.).
According to court records, a jury awarded plaintiff Daniel Marino $6.75 million in compensatory damages and $20.25 million in punitive damages against William Guice, a co-writer defendant, who had defaulted in the case. Two days before the verdict was handed down, Marino had entered into a settlement that included a $17.35 million judgment against Destro Music Productions, as well as a third of the ownership rights of the disputed song, according to a transcript of the proceedings.
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Angelo Foglietta oversaw the trial.
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