Dionne Warwick is escalating her legal battle against a music rights company, accusing it of siphoning millions of dollars from her catalog over decades.
In a newly filed countersuit obtained by Billboard, the legendary vocalist claims that Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. engaged in long-running fraud involving royalties from some of her most recognizable recordings.
The filing marks a major turn in an ongoing dispute between Warwick and the firm, which initially sued her last year over what it said was a breach of their partnership agreement.
According to the countersuit, Warwick alleges the company exploited a brief agreement she signed in 2001 that was originally meant to help recover unpaid royalties. Her attorneys say the firm used that document to claim a share of income from songs recorded decades earlier, ultimately collecting millions in payments tied to her catalog.
The lawsuit specifically references royalties tied to several of Warwick’s best-known songs, including “Walk On By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” “That’s What Friends Are For,” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose.”
In the court filing, her attorney Robert S. Meloni argued that the company’s public image masked a far different reality behind the scenes. “Ms. Warwick seeks to expose AREC’s performative ethics and vindicate her rights,” Meloni wrote, accusing the firm of decades-long “pilfering” of the royalties generated by the singer’s recordings.
Warwick’s complaint also claims the company interfered with a potential business deal involving Primary Wave. According to the filing, Warwick had been exploring a transaction involving revenue streams from her sound recordings, but the rights firm allegedly contacted Primary Wave and asserted that she lacked the authority to complete the deal.
The countersuit comes months after the company filed its own legal complaint in December 2025. In that earlier case, the firm argued that Warwick violated their agreement by attempting to cut it out of revenue streams tied to her catalog. The dispute reportedly includes earnings from a high-profile sample of “Walk On By” in Doja Cat's “Paint the Town Red.”
The relationship between Warwick and the company dates back to 2001, when she hired the firm to recover unpaid royalties owed to Warner Music Group. At the time, Warwick allegedly agreed to give the firm 50 percent of any money recovered from that specific effort.
In her latest filing, however, she claims the firm later expanded the scope of that agreement to seek half of her earnings from recordings dating back as far as 1962.
Founded in 1977 by music industry figure Chuck Rubin, the rights firm built its reputation around helping artists reclaim lost royalties. Today, the company is run by his daughter, Gabin Rubin.
