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A judge has ruled in favor of Cardi B, Atlantic Records, and Warner Music Group after dismissing a lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement.
According to a report TMZ published on Monday, March 30, a lawsuit filed by Joshua Fraustro, professionally known as Sten Joddi, and Miguel Aguilar (AKA Kemika 1956) in Texas was tossed out due to a lack of personal jurisdiction. The duo accused Cardi, her producers OG Parker and DJ SwanQo, and her labels of using portions of their 2021 song "Greasy Frybread" in the Grammy award-winning rapper's 2024 track "Enough (Miami)." However, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. feels that there wasn't enough proof that the case falls within his
“Plaintiffs do not demonstrate that Almanzar targeted Texas for concert performances, rather than simply including Texas venues within a broader concert tour in numerous states,” Judge Rodriguez wrote, per Billboard. “Almanzar’s performances in Texas are not distinct from her performances in those other states, rendering the concerts in Texas insufficient to establish general jurisdiction.”
Fraustro and Aguilar filed their original lawsuit in 2024 shortly after Cardi released "Enough (Miami)." They released the song, which got picked up as the promotional track for Hulu's 2021 series "Reservation Dogs." The producers claimed that Cardi and her producers swiped significant parts of "Greasy Frybread," but Cardi’s lawyers pointed out that the track was not actually registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
The duo eventually amended the complaint and alleged crimes under Texas state law. Judge Rodriguez dismissed those allegations because Cardi has no ties to Texas and emphasized that their failure to register a copyright “renders the claims defective.” Attorneys for all parties involved have not commented on the judge's ruling. It's not clear if Fraustro and Aguilar will refile the lawsuit in a different state.