Posted by The latest lawsuit Lizzo was served is a family affair. According to The Detroit News, Lizzo was sued by Orlandus Dunning for illegally sampling his audio from a gospel hymn during a mutual relative’s funeral on “Coconut Oil,” which landed on the EP of the same name in 2016.
Dunning is seeking $750,000 in damages claiming he’s “suffered anguish, embarrassment and outrage” since the song was released on Atlantic Records — Lizzo’s first major-label project. Dunning also claims he had no idea that his voice would be used to open and close the track.
He originally filed the lawsuit with Wayne Circuit Court at the end of 2020 but the case was moved to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan last week. In addition to the Grammy-winner, Atlantic Records, Atlantic subsidiary Nice Life Recording Co. and Warner Music Group Corp are all reportedly named in the suit.
Dunning expected to have “reasonable privacy” when he sang during the private funeral and claimed to be “embarrassed” when his Church of God In Christ confronted him about the audio.
“When Plaintiff sang the devotional, it was at a private funeral and done for the specific purpose of uplifting his family and friends during their time of bereavement,” the lawsuit allegedly states.
Coconut Oil peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard 200 but contained hit single “Good As Hell,” which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Earlier in 2021, Lizzo went vegan and began working out more to pursue a healthier lifestyle. She hopped on TikTok last week to go after the “fake doctors” in her comments trying to give her tips on losing weight or diagnose her with a certain condition. She wants people to realize that their bodies may stay a certain shape no matter what they do.
“What really bothers me are the fake doctors in the comments saying, ‘Oh, you have this,’ or ‘You might have this condition,’” she said. “No. What if I’m just fat? What if this is just my body? Bodies are not all designed to be slim with a six-pack. You know what I mean? So, if you’re feeling down on yourself today, just remember that your body is your body. Nobody’s got your body,” she said. “So enjoy that bitch!”
@lizzoFrom one fat girl to y’all. With love ? ♬ original sound – lizzo