Nelly has won a legal battle in Missouri federal court after a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by his former St. Lunatics bandmate, Ali Jones.
The court also sanctioned Ali’s lawyers for pursuing what it called a baseless case.
Ali accused Nelly of copyright infringement and unjust enrichment, claiming he was owed credit and payment for songs on Nelly’s 2000 debut album Country Grammar. But Judge Audrey G. Fleissig ruled the claims were invalid and filed too late.
According to court documents, Nelly’s team had rejected Ali’s claims in a 2021 letter, triggering a three-year deadline to sue.
Ali missed that window, and his attorneys allegedly tried to hide key dates to get around it. The judge called this move “unreasonable and vexatious.”
The court also rejected Ali’s unjust enrichment claim, saying it was just a repeat of his copyright dispute.
Ali’s lawyers were ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and cover Nelly’s legal fees from the amended complaint. While Ali himself wasn’t fined, the ruling made clear he had no legal claim to the songs.
The decision officially ends Ali’s two-decade bid to claim ownership rights in Country Grammar.