Judge Rejects UMG's Bid to Stall Discovery, Greenlights Drake’s Demand for Kendrick Lamar’s Contract, Executive Pay, and More in "Not Like Us" Libel Case

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Drake is showing some advancement since a judge permits him to ask for Kendrick Lamar ‘ Universal Music Group (UMG)'s recording contract with him in his "Not Like Us" defamation case while rejecting UMG's plea for postponing the evidence gathering process.

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During a preliminary hearing in New York on April 2nd, a federal judge rejected Universal Music Group’s petition to postpone evidence gathering in Drake’s defamation case related to Kendrick Lamar’s song "Not Like Us." Furthermore, the court ruling permits Drake and his lawyers to seek materials from UMG—Drake's own label—that were previously labeled as highly commercially sensitive, including details of Lamar’s recording contract.

Ruling in Drake's favor, Judge Jeanette Vargas indicated that his team is ready to start taking testimonies from executives and to request relevant documents. This development comes following UMG’s request to the judge earlier this month to halt all discovery proceedings in the case. As previously noted, the scope of the discovery encompasses "all contracts" between Kendrick Lamar and UMG. Additionally, it covers remuneration and incentives such as salaries and bonuses for key figures at Interscope, including their CEO. John Janick and other executives.

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UMG Seeks to Remain Part of Drake’s Kendrick Lamar "Not Like Us" Defamation Case

On March 18, UMG submitted a motion asserting that they had provided sufficient evidence for the judge to completely dismiss Drake’s lawsuit. The company went on to describe their petition as an "unreasonable demand" that would impose significant burdens on them. According to UMG, Drake’s legal team sought access to every contract between themselves and Kendrick Lamar, along with detailed information about the executive compensation structures and annual bonus schemes tied to Interscope CEO John Janick over the last half-decade.

UMG stated that the documents were "confidential, proprietary, and extremely commercially sensitive." Additionally, they mentioned that fulfilling Drake’s request would necessitate an expensive process involving extensive collections and reviews of both physical and digital records, as well as various contracts, agreements, and correspondences. Even though UMG made this plea, Judge Vargas rejected their motion for a discovery stay.

RELATED : Drake Resolves Dispute with iHeartMedia in UMG Battle Over Kendrick Lamar’s "Not Like Us"

Even though Drake can now ask for these files, it's not yet clear how much material UMG will be required to provide since the investigation process is continuing. Earlier, we reported that Drake filed a lawsuit against UMG back in January alleging defamation following the release of Kendrick Lamar’s song "Not Like Us" last year. In this case, the artist from Toronto accused the one from Compton of calling him a “pedophile,” which was stated in the track distributed by UMG.

In response to the judge's decision, Drake's primary lawyer and colleague from Willkie Farr & Gallagher, Mark Gottlieb , told Variety "Now it's time to uncover what UMG was frantically attempting to conceal." As per the judge’s directive, oral arguments are scheduled to commence on June 30.

RELATED : Universal Music Group Responds to Drake's Legal Battle Over Kendrick Lamar’s 'Not Like Us'

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