The Band Lady A Files Lawsuit Against 'Lady A' Singer Anita White
Lady A, the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum, is filing a lawsuit against Anita White, also known as Lady A.
The “Need You Now” trio is suing the blues singer in Nashville’s U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee due to her alleged attempt to “enforce purported trademark rights in a mark that Plaintiffs have held for more than a decade,” according to Billboard on Wednesday (July 8).
The lawsuit claims that conversations broke down between the band and the singer and their respective attorneys, and that her new counsel “delivered a draft settlement agreement that included an exorbitant monetary demand.” In a statement from the band, the amount is reportedly $10 million.
The band is not asking for money in the suit, only a court declaration that the trio is lawfully using the Lady A trademark and that its does not infringe on any rights Anita may have under state or federal law.
Find out why the band Lady A changed their name.
Read the band Lady A’s full statement inside…
“Today we are sad to share that our sincere hope to join together with Anita White in unity and common purpose has ended. She and her team have demanded a $10 million payment, so reluctantly we have come to the conclusion that we need to ask a court to affirm our right to continue to use the name Lady A, a trademark we have held for many years. It was a stirring in our hearts and reflection on our own blindspots that led us to announce a few weeks ago that we were dropping the word ‘Antebellum’ from our name and moving forward using only the name so many of our fans already knew us by. When we learned that Ms. White had also been performing under the name Lady A, we had heartfelt discussions with her about how we can all come together and make something special and beautiful out of this moment. We never even entertained the idea that she shouldn’t also be able to use the name Lady A, and never will – today’s action doesn’t change that. Instead, we shared our stories, listened to each other, prayed and spent hours on the phone and text writing a song about this experience together. We felt we had been brought together for a reason and saw this as living out the calling that brought us to make this change in the first place. We’re disappointed that we won’t be able to work together with Anita for that greater purpose. We’re still committed to educating ourselves, our children and doing our part to fight for the racial justice so desperately needed in our country and around the world. We’ve only taken the first small steps and will prioritize racial equality as a key pillar of the work of LadyAID, specifically leaning into supporting and empowering our youth. We hope Anita and the advisers she is now listening to will change their minds about their approach. We can do so much more together than in this dispute.”