Pharrell Seeks Dismissal of Neptunes Lawsuit from Chad Hugo

Pharrell Williams has asked a court to dismiss the copyright lawsuit filed by his Neptunes partner, Chad Hugo. Williams' legal team argues that Hugo has submitted three versions of his complaint without clearly stating a copyright claim that belongs in federal court.

Edwin F. McPherson, Williams' lawyer, stated in the filing, "As incomprehensible as it is, it appears that Hugo has no idea which compositions or sound recordings he supposedly authored — even though he claims to have been there, right by defendants' side, the whole time." The legal team seeks to challenge the specificity of Hugo's claims regarding his contributions to The Neptunes' musical catalog.

Hugo's initial complaint reportedly listed no specific songs, naming only the album No One Ever Really Dies. An amended version later included eight songs, all of which Hugo subsequently removed from a second amended complaint filed last month. Williams' team highlights that the complaint never clarifies whether Hugo claims ownership of the composition, the sound recording, or both, making a clear response difficult.

The motion also points out that the complaint fails to detail Hugo's specific contributions to any given track, such as writing music or lyrics, playing an instrument, programming sounds, recording, or mixing.

Hugo first filed suit in January, alleging that Williams withheld earnings and financial records related to The Neptunes and N.E.R.D., and that he had requested an accounting in 2021. The two also had a dispute in 2024 over The Neptunes' name, with Hugo opposing Williams' attempt to claim the name through his own company. Williams' team stated they sought to prevent others from taking the name and had asked Hugo to share the rights.