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Malpractice Claim Over Prince Tracks Is Governed by Massachusetts Law

By Colleen Murphy
October 01, 2022

The Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled that a legal malpractice claim brought by representatives of the iconic musician Prince's estate against an attorney and his firm is governed by Massachusetts, not Minnesota, law. Comerica Bank & Trust N.A. v. Brown & Rosen LLC, Lawyers Weekly No. 11-083-22.

Following the April 2016 death of Prince, full name Prince Rogers Nelson, sound engineer George Ian Boxill sought to release five of the late musician's recorded songs in his possession. Boxill partnered with distribution company Rogue Music Alliance (RMA) to commercialize the five previously unreleased songs that were known as the "Deliverance Recordings," according to the appeals court's opinion.

Boxill and RMA retained Massachusetts-based entertainment attorney Christopher L. Brown of Brown & Rosen "for the express purpose of providing legal advice regarding intellectual property and ownership issues pertaining to the release of the Deliverance Recordings," the court explained.

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