After finding himself at the center of a lawsuit filed last week by Chad Hugo—his former musical collaborator and the other half of the groundbreaking duo The Neptunes, alleging he’s been cheated out of royalties—Pharrell Williams finds it a little “premature.”
In the lawsuit filed on Friday, Jan. 23, in Los Angeles Civil Court, Hugo, 51, alleges he’s been cheated out of royalties from music sales, touring revenue, and merchandising, pointing to what he claims are years of financial imbalance after their collaborations spanning the 1990s through the 2000s, as previously reported by theGrio.
“Such willful, fraudulent, and malicious conduct warrants the imposition of punitive damages,” Hugo’s attorney, Brent J. Lehman, wrote in the filing.
Through his legal team, the 52-year-old “Girl” artist called the suit “premature” because, according to his camp, “a standard accounting review is already in progress.”
“The lawsuit filed is premature as there may not even be a dispute between the parties,” the statement continued, USA Today reported. “If the accounting review determines that money is owed, the appropriate party will pay it. Pharrell has consistently acted in good faith. He has great respect for Chad and looks forward to resolving this in a way that honors their shared history.”
Williams and Hugo, who met in high school in Virginia, developed both The Neptunes and later N.E.R.D. through a working relationship spanning more than three decades. That relationship, however, hit a significant snag in 2024, when Hugo first launched a trademark lawsuit against Williams, alleging he was attempting to gain control of The Neptunes’ trademark. Williams later confirmed the two were no longer on speaking terms.
This latest lawsuit, an escalation of the previous one, comes during what has been a whirlwind start to the year for Williams, who debuted his latest collection with Louis Vuitton at the Fall/Winter 2026 menswear presentation during Paris Fashion Week just days before being knighted by French President Emmanuel Macron in a private ceremony. The artist, who is nominated for four Grammys this year, is also gearing up to perform during the awards ceremony with his other longtime collaborators and fellow Virginia natives, Clipse.
