Yellowcard Drop Lawsuit Against Juice Wrld After Rapper’s Mom Gets Involved

Yellowcard have quietly dropped their lawsuit against the late rapper Juice Wrld after it became clear the defunct pop-punk band would have to face the rapper's mother in pursuing the copyright infringement case.

It first emerged in October 2019 that Yellowcard, the group best known for its 2004 single "Ocean Avenue," were suing Juice Wrld over the rapper's 2018 hit "Lucid Dreams." In the $15 million copyright complaint, the band claimed "Lucid Dreams" lifts "melodic elements" from its 2006 track "Holly Wood Died."

Two months later, Juice Wrld, whose real name was Jarad Higgins, died at 21 from an accidental drug overdose. Despite the rapper's death, however, Yellowcard proceeded with the lawsuit until a judge delayed the case while Juice Wrld's representatives named an executor to his estate.

On Monday (July 27), Yellowcard voluntarily dropped the suit after recent court filings showed Juice's mother, Carmela Wallace, was appointed as the estate's representative, The New York Times reported. A one-page form signed by their lawyer, Richard S. Busch, said the band decided not to continue.

"My clients are very sympathetic not only of Juice Wrld's death but also needed time to decide whether they really wanted to pursue the case against his grieving mother as the personal representative of his estate," Busch said.

There was no settlement, and no changes will be made to the songwriting credits of "Lucid Dreams." Busch is the same lawyer who, in 2015, won a $5.3 million judgment against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams on behalf of Marvin Gaye's family over copyright infringement in Thicke's "Blurred Lines."

Still, there is a possibility that Yellowcard could pick up the lawsuit against Juice Wrld's estate later. The dismissal of the case was made without prejudice, which, according to Busch, means "it can be refiled."

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