Nelly scored a legal win after a judge slammed a dismissed lawsuit from his former St. Lunatics bandmates.
U.S. Judge Robert W. Lehrburger ruled on Friday (Oct. 10) that the attorneys behind the case—filed by Ali (Ali Jones), Nelly’s former bandmate—should be sanctioned for pursuing claims that were clearly without legal merit.
The lawsuit, filed last year, accused Nelly of cutting his St. Lunatics crew out of royalties and credits from his 2000 album, Country Grammar.
“It should have been patently obvious to Jones’s attorneys that his copyright ownership claim was time-barred,” the judge wrote, per documents reviewed by Complex. “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.”
“Jones’s copyright ownership claim was groundless on its face from the time it was first asserted,” the judge wrote elsewhere in the document.
Jones’ 2024 lawsuit alleged that Nelly “manipulated” his former group into believing they would be paid. However, three of the four plaintiffs—Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, and City Spud—quickly distanced themselves from the case, claiming they never authorized the lawsuit. Ali continued alone but eventually dropped the case in April.
Despite its dismissal, Nelly’s legal team sought penalties, describing the case as “vexatious” and “ridiculous.”
“Plaintiff’s counsel succeeded in its frivolous campaign aimed at forcing [Nelly] to spend money defending Plaintiff’s ridiculous time-barred claim,” wrote Nelly’s lawyer, Ken Freundlich, at the time. “The Court is respectfully requested to retain jurisdiction and set a briefing and hearing schedule for [potential sanctions].”
Judge Lehrburger agreed, saying that Jones’ lead attorney, Precious Felder Gates, was largely responsible for wasting time and money. He said Gates “essentially manipulated the pleadings” in a revised complaint that removed key facts showing the case was too old to pursue.
The judge concluded that Gates acted in bad faith by continuing the lawsuit despite overwhelming evidence it would fail.
Although Lehrburger didn’t set an exact dollar amount, he ordered that Gates cover the legal fees Nelly 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," said Freundlich in a statement to Billboard. "There is a lane of course for zealous advocacy but when the case is time-barred according to a plaintiff’s own pleading, it has no place in the system."
ComplexCon returns to Las Vegas on October 25–26, 2025, with over 300 brands and live performances by Young Thug, YEAT & Friends, Peso Pluma, Central Cee, Ken Carson, and more. Get your tickets now.
