Pharrell Williams seeks dismissal of Chad Hugo copyright lawsuit
Pharrell Williams has asked a federal court in California to dismiss the copyright lawsuit brought by his Neptunes and N.E.R.D. partner Chad Hugo.
The request was reported on 7 October 2026 and targets Hugo's second amended complaint. Williams argues the complaint is too vague to proceed because it does not clearly identify the copyrights at issue, according to Rolling Stone.
The case is docketed as Case No. 2:2026cv00746 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. It was filed on 23 January 2026 by Charles Edward Hugo against Williams and others.
Williams' filing traces three versions of the claim. The original complaint named no specific songs and pointed only to the N.E.R.D. album No One Ever Really Dies. The first amended complaint then listed eight songs that are not on that album. All eight were dropped from the second amended complaint.
That latest version identifies only one track: "U Gotta" by EarthGang. Williams argues it still falls short because it does not say whether the dispute concerns the musical composition, the song as written, the sound recording, the finished track as released, or both.
He is seeking dismissal of the whole lawsuit. His position is that without a viable federal copyright claim, the remaining state-law claims for breach of fiduciary duty and incomplete accounting belong in state court. Breach of fiduciary duty here means the allegation that a business partner failed to act in the other's financial interests.
Hugo's complaint says he and Williams co-founded the Neptunes and N.E.R.D. It describes Hugo's role as writer, producer, arranger and performer. From the album No One Ever Really Dies alone, the complaint alleges damages exceeding $1 million.
The broader lawsuit alleges a "systematic denial" of Hugo's royalties and rights, an account first reported in January. Hugo has also claimed Williams cut him out of their company, according to Billboard.
The two men have been friends since their childhoods in Virginia. Their partnership produced hits for other artists before they recorded together as N.E.R.D.
This is not their first legal dispute. In 2024, Hugo took separate action over the Neptunes name, saying he was not consulted about trademark applications. That fight centred on three applications to register "The Neptunes" as a trademark, one of which covered streaming music, according to Variety.
The eight songs named in the first amended complaint and later removed were Rosalía's "Motomami" and "La Combi Versace," "Cash In Cash Out," "Love Is Not Written," "Pure," "Real One" featuring Latto, and "Lost and Found" and "Freestyle" featuring Tyler, the Creator.
The court had not ruled on the dismissal motion or set a hearing date at the time of the report. The claims remain allegations. No findings have been made.
