Robin Thicke’s Attorneys Slam Gaye Family for ‘Unfair Tactics’ in Court Document
Lawyers representing Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and several other parties in the “Blurred Lines” case ripped the Gaye family in a court document accusing them of “unfair tactics” in what they characterize as an attempt to subvert the verdict that awarded the Gaye family almost $7.4 million last week.
In the response filed today, Thicke’s attorneys asked the court to strike two motions filed this week by the Gaye family, which attempt to add rapper T.I. and the Interscope Parties (Star Trak Entertainment, UMG Distribution, Universal Music Recordings, Interscope Records) to Thicke and Williams’ liability for copyright infringement, as well as an injunction against the song “Blurred Lines.”
“On March 10, 2015, the verdict was read, no party objected to the verdict, and the jury was discharged,” the document reads, going on to say that the motion “seeks instead to entirely overturn the jury’s verdict” and to hold liable T.I. and the Interscope Parties “who the jury did not find infringe.”
Also Read: ‘Blurred Lines’ Trial Was Avoidable: Read Marvin Gaye Family’s Statement (Exclusive)
Saying that the Gaye family’s attorneys have attempted to “circumvent the normal procedure for post-trial motions to the court,” Thicke’s attorneys called actions by the Gaye family’s attorneys “improper,” urging the court to reject their “unfair tactics.”
“The nature of Mr. King’s response comes as no surprise,” Paul Philips, lawyer for Marvin Gaye III told TheWrap. “In every sense of the phrase, the Thicke Parties are backed into a corner legally, and are fighting desperately to get out. As for our recent filings, they were made in strict conformity with the Court’s mandates, and we’re confident in the ultimate positions we have taken.”
The document goes on to argue that the Gaye family’s motion for an injunction jumps the gun, presuming that their other motion to amend the verdict will be granted. Thicke’s attorneys called both motions “not only groundless,” but “procedurally infirm.”
Calling both the trial and the verdict “fundamentally flawed” and referring specifically to the verdict as “an abject miscarriage of justice, unsupported by the evidence, and contrary to law,” the Thicke parties’ attorneys suggested the Gaye family is asking the Court to “pre-judge” and “resolve” all of the Thicke parties’ motions before the Thicke parties have been able to file their own motions with the court, citing the Gaye family attorneys’ “slapdash approach to post-trial issues.”
In its conclusion, the document states “This case is far from over. It is merely entering a new phase. There is no urgency to any of the relief the Gayes have requested.”
After requesting that the court strike the Gaye family’s motions, the Thicke parties’ attorneys request a status conference to be set for the week of Apr. 6, 2015 for all parties to discuss motions and procedural issues.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'Blurred Lines' Verdict: Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams to Pay $7.4 Million in Copyright Case
'Blurred Lines' Trial Nearly Doubles Sales of Disputed Marvin Gaye Song
'Blurred Lines' Trial: Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams Accused of Lies, Confusion and Distraction
