The lawyers who were representing Kanye West on a sample lawsuit in relation to ‘Donda 2’ track ‘Flowers’ have confirmed that they are still struggling to formally alert the rapper that they have bailed on the case.
To that end they have proposed to the court that is overseeing the litigation that they formally break ties with West via adverts in two LA newspapers.
Among the plethora of business partners which sought to cut their ties with West last year – as he started making ever more controversial, racist and anti-semitic remarks – were a number of legal firms.
That included Greenberg Traurig LLP, which was representing West in a lawsuit filed against him by Ultra Music Publishing over allegations ‘Flowers’ sampled Marshall Jefferson track ‘Move Your Body’ without licence.
The court overseeing the sample case granted Greenberg Traurig’s motion to withdraw from the sample litigation at the end of November, but also ordered the law firm to personally serve West with a ‘withdrawal order’ that stated they are no longer representing him in the case.
However, the lawyers have been struggling to locate West in order to serve that order. They previously asked the court if they could do the serving via text message. The judge said “no”, but – as it turns out – it wouldn’t have helped if she said “yes”, because the mobile number Greenberg Traurig had for their former client is no longer working.
In a new letter to the judge, the law firm notes that West’s former business manager Thomas St John – who is suing over unpaid fees – is also struggling to locate the rapper in order to formally serve legal papers.
With all that in mind, Greenberg Traurig asks the judge if they can serve the withdrawal notice “by alternative means, including publication in two Los Angeles area newspapers and mailing the withdrawal order to two possible addresses likely to be [West’s] California residences identified in [the] Thomas St John [case]”.
The lawyers add that the plaintiff in the sample case – and co-defendant Kano Computing, which makes the Stem Player device via which ‘Donda 2’ was released – are both fine with that proposal.
We await to see if ‘serving notice via newspaper ad’ satisfies the judge.