RJLF Represents Opera Singer and Composer Chase Taylor in Copyright and Fraud Suit Against Ye

Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg LLP represents Chase Taylor, a composer, music director, and opera performer who has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Royal Opera House Muscat, in a copyright and fraud action pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The defendants include Ye (formerly Kanye West), Very Good Touring, Inc., Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. (GOOD Music), Yeezy LLC, and Yeezy Apparel LLC.

The complaint alleges Taylor was hired to sing the lead in Nebuchadnezzar, the opera West staged at the Hollywood Bowl in November 2019. When Taylor arrived for rehearsals, there was no opera. He was told to compose, orchestrate, and direct the music for the production in four days. He then did the same for Mary, which was performed at Art Basel Miami, in Calabasas, and at the Lincoln Center in December 2019.

Taylor further alleges the defendants promised him top-dollar pay, producer credit, and future work, and assured him that the productions were nonprofit endeavors. According to the complaint, the defendants failed to deliver on their promises. The suit also claims that West went on to use Taylor’s compositions in later releases and performances, including “Hurricane,” “Wash Us in the Blood,” and “Eternal Life,” without credit or payment.

The suit seeks a declaration that Taylor is an author of the works, an accounting of profits, and damages for fraud, promissory estoppel, unjust enrichment, false imprisonment, and unfair and deceptive trade practices. Taylor has demanded a jury trial.

“Not all tragedies end with a curtain call,” said Adam Adler, a partner at RJLF. “Chase Taylor wrote the music audiences and critics praised. He deserves the credit and the pay he was promised.”

Adler represents Taylor alongside Susan Freya Olive and Brian J. Crews of Olive & Olive, P.A.

The case is Taylor v. Ye (a/k/a Kanye West), Very Good Touring, Inc., Yeezy LLC, Yeezy Apparel LLC, and Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc., No. 5:26-cv-899 (E.D.N.C.).

Media Contact

Adam Adler
Partner, Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg LLP
aadler@reichmanjorgensen.com