Parliament Funkadelic’s George Clinton launches million-dollar lawsuit over alleged frozen royalties
George Clinton is suing Universal Music Group (UMG) in a million-dollar lawsuit over alleged frozen royalties.
Clinton is claiming that the record label has withheld 100 per cent of his royalties from him over the course of the past three years, and is subsequently suing them for $1.1 million.
According to details of the complaint, filed at a Michigan court on May 15th and seen by Music Business Worldwide, Clinton is accusing UMG of a “breach of contract” in which they have withheld royalties from 12 accounts relating to him, and concerning music released after 1969.
The details of the complaint allege that UMG is withholding royalties due to a “third-party lawsuit to which UMG is not a party”, seemingly relating to a historic legal case between Clinton and the late Parliament Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell.
“[It’s] based on a third-party lawsuit to which UMG is not a party, in which UMG faces no claim, in which UMG could incur no liability, and in which the third party has now lost on summary judgment,” the filings said.
With regards to that case, after a protracted lawsuit, a judge ruled in Clinton’s favour late last year, finding that he did not have to pay royalties for Parliament Funkadelic songs to Worrell’s estate.
In March 2025, Clinton also filed a separate lawsuit against his former business partner, Armen Boladian, for an enormous total of $100 million, accusing them of fraudulently profiting from his music, and seeking to claim back his money.
At the time, he said in a statement: “These songs we’re talking about is my history,” before adding, “I have to fight for them, I have to make sure that I did not do all of this my whole life and have my family here, not get what’s due to them, what they inherit.”
With this marking the latest of Clinton’s ongoing legal battles with Boladian since 2001, the latter’s attorney, Richard Busch, said in response: “He has lost each and every time, including in the very courthouse in which he has filed this latest lawsuit.”
Busch added: “We will obviously, therefore, be moving to dismiss this lawsuit and will be seeking sanctions.”
UMG has not responded to Clinton’s fresh lawsuit.
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