Last October, Lizzo responded to claims that there were more writers in the room working on her song “Truth Hurts” than are credited on the song by filing a lawsuit. Lizzo says that no one else was in the room writing the song other than “me Ricky Read, and my tears.” In the lawsuit, Lizzo asked for a judge to declare that songwriters Justin and Jeremiah Raisen and Justin “Yves” Rothman had no claim to the chart-topping track. Now, the Raisens and Rothman have filed a countersuit arguing that they helped co-create an unreleased song with Lizzo and that significant pieces of that song were used in “Truth Hurts,”' for which they are uncredited.
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The new countersuit accuses Lizzo of “bad faith, unprincipled attempt to deny songwriting and producer credits and royalties.” Additionally, it alleges that “Lizzo would never have collected her Grammy Award [for Best Pop Solo Performance] but for the songwriting and producing contributions of [the Raisens and Rothman].”
The suit cites a tweet from Lizzo shortly after “Truth Hurts” was released in September 2017 saying that it came “from a whole otha song we wrote.” The Raisens and Rothman are asking for a judge to dismiss Lizzo’s lawsuit and to declare them co-authors of both “Healthy” and “Truth Hurts.” Furthermore, the suit asks for “Truth Hurts” to be acknowledged as a derivative of “Healthy” and that they be compensated for their alleged contributions, reports Rolling Stone.
The three songwriters first went public with their claim last fall when they posted about it on Instagram. They claim that “Healthy” was being considered as a song for Lizzo’s then-unreleased EP. In August 2017, they said they were told that the song wasn’t going to be used. “Truth Hurts” was released a month later.
One of the most notable elements they allege came from their song “Healthy,” which they claim was written in a songwriting session with Lizzo in April 2017, is the now-famous line, “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that bitch.” In an Instagram post, Lizzo denied that any part of “Healthy” was used in “Truth Hurts.” Eventually, she filed a lawsuit asserting the same argument, which has yet to be resolved. Refinery29 reached out to representatives for Lizzo for comment.
“Lizzo is a talented musician and performer who currently enjoys immense popularity based on a hit song that she did not write alone,” lawyers for the Raisens and Rothman said in a statement first reported by Variety. The statement continued, “When the case proceeds to trial, we look forward to sharing the sound recordings, videos, photographs, and musicology that 100% prove that collaboration. Our clients deserve their fair share of the recognition and revenue that comes from collaborating on a hit song.”