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Mariah Carey Awarded $92,303 as Judge Sanctions Plaintiffs in Tossed Christmas Song Suit

The court found no substantial similarity after expert testimony deemed overlaps generic holiday-song clichés.

Overview

  • New court filings set sanctions at a total of $109,983 payable to defendants, including roughly $92,303.20 to Carey and more than $14,000 to Sony Music.
  • In March, Judge Monica Ramirez Almadani dismissed the case after concluding the works failed the extrinsic test for protectable similarity.
  • The order describes the plaintiffs’ aggregate conduct as egregious and says the penalties are meant to deter frivolous filings.
  • Plaintiffs’ attorneys Gerard Fox and Douglas M. Schmidt were given until January 5 to explain their conduct or face possible further sanctions or disciplinary action.
  • Andy Stone, who performs as Vince Vance, filed the lawsuit in November 2023 seeking at least $20 million over his 1989 song of the same title.