Photo: Arturo Holmes / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Mariah Carey has been awarded more than $92,000 in legal fees after a copyright lawsuit targeting her holiday hit All I Want for Christmas Is You was dismissed.
The lawsuit was filed in November 2023 by country singer Andy Stone, who performs as Vince Vance. Stone claimed Carey’s chart-topping Christmas anthem copied elements from his own 1988 song of the same title. In March, a federal judge rejected the infringement claims, finding insufficient evidence to support the case.
Now, according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Stone has been ordered to pay $92,300 toward Carey’s attorneys’ fees. The ruling is part of a broader $109,983 sanction, which also covers costs incurred by Carey’s co-defendants, including Sony Music, Kobalt Publishing, and producer Walter Afanasieff.
The court concluded that the defendants were forced to spend unnecessary time and money responding to what it described as baseless legal arguments and unsupported factual claims. More than $14,000 of the total sanction was awarded to Sony Music alone.
U.S. District Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani also sharply criticized Stone’s legal team, calling their conduct “egregious.” In her earlier dismissal of the $20 million lawsuit, she wrote that while individual missteps might normally warrant only a reprimand, the cumulative misconduct justified harsher penalties.
In a subsequent filing, the judge noted that Stone’s attorneys failed to properly address the interests of co-writer Troy Powers, despite acknowledging they were no longer in contact with him. She warned that the lawyers may have violated professional and ethical obligations and ordered them to explain why they should not face disciplinary action.
Stone’s attorneys have until January 5 to respond. Failure to do so could result in further sanctions.
SOURCE: Rolling Stone
