Songwriters drop Travis Scott sampling lawsuit — but leave door open to refile

Songwriters Dion Norman and Derrick Ordogne have dropped their copyright lawsuit against rapper Travis Scott and Sony Music over claims that two of his songs used an uncleared vocal sample.

The pair filed a notice of voluntary dismissal on 9 October in federal court in New Orleans, ending a case that had been pending for nearly three years, according to Billboard. The filing brings the current action to a close. It does not close the wider dispute for good.

The dismissal was entered without prejudice. That is a legal term meaning the claimants are free to bring the same claims again at a later date. The notice does not say whether Norman and Ordogne reached a settlement with Scott or Sony, and it states that the defendants had not served an answer or a motion for summary judgment, according to Music Business Worldwide.

Norman and Ordogne first sued on 25 January 2024. The defendants named in the action included Scott, whose legal name is Jacques Webster II, alongside Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Publishing and others. The case centred on Bitches (Reply)', a track the two writers wrote and recorded in 1991. That recording later appeared on DJ Jimi's 1992 album It's Jimi'.

The complaint alleged that Scott used part of that recording without permission, a practice known as sampling without clearance. Two Scott tracks were at issue: Stargazing' from his 2018 album Astroworld' and Til Further Notice' from his 2023 album Utopia'. Stargazing' debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, the US singles chart. Til Further Notice' entered the same chart at No. 38.

At the heart of the claim was a short vocal phrase. Norman and Ordogne alleged that the alright, alright, alright' vocal heard at the start of Bitches (Reply)' had its tone and pitch altered before being inserted into both Scott songs. The original complaint pointed to six moments where the vocal allegedly appears in Til Further Notice' and cited the 3:46 mark in Stargazing'. A second amended complaint, which updates and replaces an earlier version of the legal claim, was filed in July 2024.

The writers had sought actual losses, a share of profits from both songs, or statutory damages under the US Copyright Act, the fixed sums a court can award without proof of exact loss, plus punitive damages and legal fees. The July 2024 complaint also asked the court for a permanent order prohibiting reproduction, distribution, sale, public performance or other use of the two Scott tracks.

For listeners, this means the court file stops here for now, but the legal position is left open. A dismissal without prejudice preserves the right to refile. No finding was made about whether sampling took place, and no terms were disclosed.

Scott has faced sampling claims before. In 2019, he settled a separate lawsuit brought by DJ Paul. That earlier action was reported as background when the Norman and Ordogne case was filed.