Universal Music Group (UMG) has responded to Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst’s $200 million lawsuit, denying accusations of hiding royalties and calling the claims “fiction.”
Durst alleges that UMG owes the band unpaid royalties spanning decades and accuses the label of fraud through questionable accounting practices.
UMG filed its response in a Los Angeles court, arguing that the lawsuit is “based on a fallacy” and should be dismissed. According to the label, emails included in Durst’s lawsuit undermine his allegations.
UMG claims it reached out to the band’s representatives years ago to start paying royalties but was informed that most band members, including Durst, had assigned their royalty shares to other parties. This, UMG says, meant the label could not make payments to the band directly.
The lawsuit accuses UMG of keeping Limp Bizkit in debt by claiming the band’s royalties had not covered their initial advances, a practice Durst called “unsettling.”
However, UMG asserts that when the band’s business manager later corrected his earlier statements, the label paid out $3.4 million to Limp Bizkit and associated entities.
In response to UMG’s filing, Durst’s lawyer criticized the label for using “formulaic legal tactics” to dismiss the case, calling it an attempt to avoid accountability.
Durst continues to argue that the band has been systematically underpaid despite their massive success during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The legal battle highlights broader issues of transparency in royalty payments within the music industry.
While UMG claims to have made good on its payments, Limp Bizkit’s lawsuit suggests the band believes more money is owed. The case remains ongoing.
