(EXCLUSIVE) Stevie Wonder Scores Legal Victory Over Music Royalties

Strack filed suit demanding over $7 million dollars from the musician, claiming the royalty payments ceased in 2013 from Wonder. She said his reps attempted to renegotiate the deal he had with her late husband but she headed to court to enforce the original agreement.

On September 10th, Stevie fired back at Strack’s lawsuit, explaining that he specifically told Vigoda that he did not agree and would not pay the 6 percent fee to his heirs if he were to pass away.

Stevie explained that he trusted Vigoda to not include that provision in the contracts he signed — since he is blind and could not see the paperwork and he says that his attorney screwed him over by including that in their contract despite his objections. The musician says he “could not read any of the contracts that Vigoda negotiated and prepared” and he “had a right to and did rely on Vigoda to make sure that he did not sign anything he didn’t agree to”.

Stevie said following the death of Vigoda, his wife was avoiding all calls from him and secretly and maliciously went behind his back to get a court order that states she is entitled to the 6% fee from his income. He says that once she got that order she went to all the third party music companies that pay him royalties and demanded they hand over 6% of his money to her. Stevie states that once he found out, he instructed the companies to cease paying her and then that’s when she hit him with this lawsuit.

Stevie counter-sued Strack, explaining her late husband screwed him over and betrayed him by making him sign contracts he couldn’t even read. He also accused Strack of stealing his music royalties from third party companies and said she wrongfully and intentionally interfered with his rights to receive his money.

Stevie Wonder, Tyrese

He filed suit against Strack demanding every dime she was paid from his music royalties, monetary damages, punitive damages and an order stating she is not owed a dime going forward from his revenue.

Then on November 20th, the federal court judge came back with his decision on Strack’s lawsuit against the singer and granted Stevie’s motion to dismiss the entire case.

The judge says that Strack has failed to provide any proof that the singer owed her music royalties per a contractual obligation. Further, the order states that Strack is not owed from the third party music companies who pay out Stevie’s royalties. He says she will not be paid from the money brought in from the sales of his music and he dismissed the entire case and awarded her nothing from her complaint. Stevie’s counter-suit is still pending in federal court.

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