Beyonce's lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss a bizarre lawsuit filed against the pregnant singer by the family of a late New Orleans, Louisiana comedian.
The suit suggests Beyonce illegally sampled a spoken word performance by Messy Mya in her Formation video.
The comedian's estate, led by his sister Angel Barre, filed legal papers in February (17), demanding royalties, damages and recognition, insisting the funnyman, real name Anthony Barre, be credited as a writer, composer, producer and artist on the track.
Barre can be heard saying, "What happened at the New Orleans", and, "B**ch, I’m back by popular demand", in the promo, and his sister claims the samples infringe the rights of two of her late brother's comedy works. His voice does not feature in the audio version of the Lemonade album track.
In a new motion to dismiss, Beyonce's attorney Mary Ellen Roy argues Angel Barre has overstated the use of her brother's work in the Formation video, insisting it amounts to just 10 seconds, and falls within the protection of the fair-use doctrine.
Furthermore, Roy states: "While beyond the scope of this motion, Pretty Bird (production company) licensed the YouTube Videos from Mr. Barre’s family before plaintiff Angel Barre had herself appointed as the administrator of the Estate of Anthony Barre weeks after the Music Video’s premiere - presumably for the purpose of bringing this action."
Beyonce isn't letting the legal drama get her down - the pregnant star was spotted celebrating Easter with her mother Tina Knowles and best pal Kelly Rowland over the weekend (15-16Apr17).
The trio posed for a picture Tina posted on Instagram on Easter Sunday.
