Raisens File Countersuit Against Lizzo Over “Truth Hurts” Credit
Lizzo just took a DNA test, turns out she’s 100% getting sued. Late last year, producers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen accused Lizzo of plagiarism, claiming that the famous “100% that bitch” line in her hit song “Truth Hurts” came from an April 2017 writing session they did with Lizzo, Yves Rothman, and Jesse Saint John (who is credited as a writer on the track alongside Lizzo, Ricky Reed, and Steven Cheung).
Soon afterwards, Lizzo awarded a songwriting credit to Mina Lioness, the author of a viral tweet that inspired a meme that in turn inspired the line on “Truth Hurts.” But she denied the Raisens’ claims and sued them and Yves Rothman, saying, “The men who now claim a piece of ‘Truth Hurts’ did not help me write any part of the song. They had nothing to do with the line or how I chose to sing it.”
Now, the Raisens have filed a detailed counterclaim seeking credit and royalties for “Truth Hurts,” once again arguing that the “DNA test” line stems from an early songwriting session and demo they did with Lizzo in 2017. The New York Times reports that the countersuit, filed in Federal District Court in Los Angeles on Friday, includes alleged text exchanges between Justin Raisen, Lizzo, and her producer Ricky Reed.
The Raisens are being represented by Lawrence Y. Iser, a copyright attorney who previously represented David Byrne in a lawsuit against Florida governor Charlie Crist. Iser says that Lizzo “currently enjoys immense popularity based on a hit song that she did not write alone” and that if the Raisens don’t get credit, it “would make it impossible for working musicians to be confident that they will be properly credited for their work if they get into a studio and create songs with powerful artists.”