A songwriter has filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke over a written agreement that supposedly went south.
According to legal documents obtained by the Blast, Jacob Kasher Hindlin is suing the famed producer for allegedly breaching a contract that was signed nearly a decade ago.
Hindlin claims he entered the agreement with Luke’s production company Kasz Money and publishing company Prescription Songs in 2010. That contract was modified four years later, when Kashner was allegedly promised to receive the writer’s share of royalties for any song he contributed to, as well as split publisher’s royalties with Prescription.
The songwriter—who has worked with names like Jason Derulo, Selena Gomez, Charlie Puth, Meghan Harry Styles, and more—says the contract also granted the option to sell off his share of the royalties; however, as a part of the deal, Luke’s publishing company had secured a 45-day right of first negotiation and the right to match any offer that was later presented.
Kashner says Prescription gave him an offer for his share of royalties in November 2017, but because it was “substantially below fair market value,” the songwriter countered the company in January 2018. Prescription reportedly rejected Kashner’s counter-offer and told him he still had the option of selling his catalog to another party; however, Prescription still had the ability to match any offer that was presented.
Well, according to the Blast, the publishing company later told Kashner that he did not have the right to sell his shares, and allegedly threatened to withhold any royalty payments for work completed under the deal. Why? Kashner claims the company accused him of breaching the agreement “by doing work outside the parameters of their deal”; however, Prescription reportedly failed to provide details/examples of the allegations.
Kashner is asking the judge to get him out of the deal, as well as requesting Luke’s companies to cover his court costs.
