Worrell v. Thang, Inc. et al

  1. February 17, 2026

    Funkadelic Member's Estate Beats Clinton's Sanctions Bid

    A Michigan federal judge denied Parliament-Funkadelic bandleader George Clinton's bid to sanction the estate of the band's former keyboardist in their royalty dispute over works recorded before 1976, ruling Tuesday that there's no evidence of bad faith by the estate to pursue its claims, even if they were untimely.

  2. September 04, 2025

    Late Funkadelic Member's Royalty Suit Too Late, Judge Finds

    A Michigan federal judge ended a case Thursday brought against George Clinton by his late keyboardist's estate over unpaid royalties, saying the statute of limitations expired when there was silence between the parties about a contract between them for decades.

  3. July 16, 2025

    Funkadelic Leader Seeks Sanctions In 'Baseless' Royalty Row

    Parliament-Funkadelic bandleader George Clinton again asked a Michigan federal court to sanction the estate of the band's former keyboardist in their royalty row on Tuesday, telling the court the estate is pursuing "frivolous" claims to financially harm the still-touring musician.

  4. February 19, 2025

    Funkadelic Keyboardist Won't Face Sanctions In Royalty Fight

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday declined to issue sanctions against the estate of a former Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist suing the band's frontman in a royalty dispute, finding that the keyboardist's widow did not seem to intentionally lie about or conceal an agreement with a former defendant in the case.

  5. January 10, 2025

    Funkadelic Keyboardist Fights Sanctions Bid In Royalty Dispute

    The widow of Parliament-Funkadelic's founding keyboardist told a Michigan federal judge Friday that she should not be sanctioned in a royalty dispute with bandleader George Clinton, saying she didn't try to hide what she said is an irrelevant settlement agreement with a record company.

  6. January 24, 2024

    Feuding Funkadelic Estate Fails To Rope In Royalty Co.

    SoundExchange, a major nonprofit royalty collector in the U.S., has slipped out of an ongoing dispute in Detroit federal court between Parliament-Funkadelic bandleader George Clinton and the widow of the band's founding keyboardist, Bernie Worrell.

  7. November 08, 2023

    Funkadelic Member Meets Judge's Doubt In Royalty Dispute

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday appeared skeptical that the estate of a Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist could go after a music royalty distributor for additional payouts without first establishing that it had an ownership stake in the band's songs. 

  8. April 25, 2023

    Court Won't Ax Parliament-Funkadelic Music Copyright Feud

    A Michigan federal judge has refused to toss a copyright suit lodged against recording labels like Sony Music and Universal Music Group over royalties purportedly withheld from the estate of a Parliament-Funkadelic band member, finding that the claims are not time-barred.

  9. April 18, 2023

    Funkadelic Musician's Copyright Claims Too Late, Clinton Says

    The estate of renowned keyboardist Bernie Worrell is attempting to re-litigate already dismissed royalty accounting claims for his contributions to songs recorded in the 1970s and 1980s that are too old to litigate, one of Worrell's former bandmates, George Clinton, said Tuesday in his bid to have the case dismissed.