Salt-N-Pepa Lawsuit Against UMG Dismissed by Federal Judge Over Technical Contract Details

Photo Credit: David Burke / CC by 2.0

Salt-N-Pepa’s copyright lawsuit against Universal to regain their masters was dismissed by a federal judge over technicalities in their contract.

Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton have lost their copyright lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) to regain their masters as iconic hip-hop Salt-N-Pepa.

The duo asserted that UMG was holding their music “hostage” and that the 1976 Copyright Act should entitle them to reclaim ownership rights now that 35 years have passed since their original agreements. However, a federal judge has ruled that the pair didn’t prove they ever actually owned their masters and were therefore not entitled to terminate UMG’s rights to them.

U.S. District Judge Denise Cote ruled in Manhattan federal court that Salt-N-Pepa weren’t signatories to the 1986 record deal with imprint Next Plateau Records. Therefore, the judge sided with UMG’s motion for dismissal, finding that the contract in question was actually between Next Plateau and Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions, a company connected to music producer Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor.

“The only copyright transfer effectuated by these agreements was the one from NITA to Next Plateau Records,” the filing reads. “And the statutory text in Section 203 is clear: plaintiffs can only terminate copyright transfers that they executed. They cannot terminate a copyright granted executed by NITA. As a result, plaintiffs do not plausibly allege a claim for declaratory relief.”

“While we are gratified that the court dismissed this baseless lawsuit, it should never have been brought in the first place,” said a UMG spokesperson in a statement. “Prior to this suit—and without any legal obligation to do so—we made multiple attempts to resolve the matter amicably, improve the artists’ compensation, and ensure that Salt-N-Pepa’s fans had access to their music.”

“Even with the court’s complete rejection of their claims, we remain open and willing to find a resolution to the matter and turn the page so we can focus our efforts on working together to amplify Salt-N-Pepa’s legacy for generations to come,” UMG’s statement concluded.

In November, James and Denton were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as Salt-N-Pepa. During their acceptance speech, they addressed the lawsuit by bringing up the removal of their music from streaming platforms.

“As we celebrate this moment, fans can’t even stream our music. It’s been taken down from all streaming platforms because the industry still doesn’t want to play fair,” said James. “Salt-N-Pepa have never been afraid of a fight. This is the Influence Award. We have to keep using our influence until the industry honors creativity the way the audience does—with love, respect, and fairness—and that includes streaming platforms too.”

Link to the source article – https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2026/01/08/salt-n-pepa-lawsuit-umg-dismissed/