‘Not Like Us’ Lawsuit: Universal Asks Judge to Stop Drake’s Attorneys From Uncovering Kendrick Lamar’s Contracts, Interscope CEO’s Compensation and More

variety.com:

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music In the latest pushback from Universal Music Group in Drake’s defamation lawsuit against the company over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” diss track, UMG has asked a federal judge to stop all discovery in the case, which includes demands for “all contracts” between Lamar and UMG, as well as compensation and incentives — i.e.

salary and bonuses — for Interscope CEO John Janick and other executives. “Drake’s first set of discovery requests consist of 18 items that would require costly collection and review of large swaths of hard-copy and electronic data sets, contracts and agreements, and communications,” the document states, causing “undue burden” on the company.

It states that Drake’s lawyers have requested “all contracts between UMG and Kendrick Lamar, documents showing ‘the executive compensation structure and annual incentive plans for Interscope Chief Executive Officer John Janick for the past five years,’” it continues, quoting Drake’s lawyers documents, “and ‘Interscope’s 2024 executive incentive metrics, targets, projections, and performance used to determine annual incentive compensation for Interscope’s executives and officers … for the past five years.’” In a response, Drake’s attorney Michael Gottlieb of Willkie Farr & Gallagher characterized the requests as part of “the normal process of discovery” and wrote, “It is unsurprising that UMG is desperate to avoid discovery.

This motion is a ploy to delay producing documents and communications that UMG hopes to keep hidden and buried. If UMG has nothing to hide, it should not have an issue with discovery.” The move follows UMG’s scathing motion to dismiss Drake‘s New York lawsuit against them for promoting “Not Like Us,” stating.