Pharrell Williams has been sued by his former producing partner Chad Hugo, who accused the singer-songwriter of breach of fiduciary duty and failure to account for money earned.
Hugo, a co-founder of The Neptunes and N.E.R.D. alongside Williams, filed the federal lawsuit Friday, nearly two years after the longtime collaborators publicly went their separate ways.
In the filing, which was obtained and viewed by TheWrap, Hugo’s legal team made a number of accusations against Williams, including accusing the superstar of a “systemic denial of [Hugo’s] contractual and ownership rights in the company and in The Neptunes Entities.”
“Over an extended period, Williams has failed to provide [Hugo] with access to essential financial records, has withheld distributions and profits to which [Hugo] is entitled under the Company’s Limited Liability Operating Agreement,” the lawsuit stated, “and has exercised control over the Company and The Neptunes Entities’ revenues in a manner inconsistent with his fiduciary obligations to [Hugo].”
Per the document, Hugo is seeking “a full and transparent accounting of all revenues generated through The Neptunes Entities and the Company,” as well as “the recovery of profits and distributions wrongfully withheld by Williams.” Hugo believes he is owed at least $325,000 — and possibly even more than $1,000,000 — for their 2017 album, “No One Ever Really Dies.”
The document further stated: “Williams engaged in self-dealing, concealed material information, and, upon information and belief, diverted revenues owed to [Hugo]. Such willful, fraudulent and malicious conduct warrants the imposition of punitive damages.”
Representatives for Williams did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.
Before Williams reached A-list fame, he was part of a songwriting duo with Hugo, who he first met as a teenager in Virginia Beach in the ’80s.
Together, they penned a number of chart-topping hits, including Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” They also performed together as part of the hip-hop/rock band N.E.R.D., releasing five studio albums between 2001 and 2017. Williams and Hugo were notably inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June 2022.
However, this isn’t the first legal battle between Williams and Hugo, as the latter accused the “Happy” singer of trying to “fraudulently” claim sole ownership over the Neptunes name in 2024. At the time, Williams confirmed that he and Hugo were no longer on speaking terms.
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