Summer Walker‘s attempt to walk away from her record deal has turned into a courtroom fight. Interscope Records, part of Universal Music Group, filed a lawsuit on Friday (October 9) in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeking more than $50 million from the R&B singer, arguing she has not delivered the full set of albums her contract requires.
Walker signed with Interscope in 2017 through a joint arrangement with Atlanta company LVRN. In August, her lawyers told the label she would no longer perform under the agreement as of August 27, citing California’s so-called seven-year rule, which limits how long a person can be bound by a personal services contract in the state.
Three albums, by the label’s count
According to the complaint, Walker’s deal called for five albums, and only three qualify: Over It (2019), Still Over It (2021) and Finally Over It (2025). Interscope treats her 2018 mixtape Last Day of Summer and 2019 EP CLEAR as pre-album projects that do not count. The label says it is owed two more albums and an EP, with the exact damages to be decided at trial. Still Over It topped the Billboard 200, while the other two albums peaked at No. 2.
A 1987 amendment to the California statute, backed by the record industry, lets labels pursue damages from artists who leave before delivering the records they promised. Such claims must be filed within 45 days of the termination date, which is why Interscope moved near the end of that window. In a statement, the label said it still hoped talks would produce an amicable outcome but needed to act before the statutory deadline, adding that it would welcome continuing the partnership.
Walker plans to fight back
Walker’s attorney, Keith Moten, said her team is confident in her legal position, intends to defend against the claims vigorously and plans to file a countersuit, while leaving the door open to a negotiated solution. Her side has described the original contract as restrictive, pointing to modest advances and a conditional royalty rate; Interscope counters that the terms reflected her early-career status and that it invested heavily in her rise.
The case joins a long line of seven-year-rule disputes, from Courtney Love’s battle with Geffen to EMI’s suit against Thirty Seconds to Mars, both of which ended in settlements. Artist advocates have repeatedly pushed California lawmakers to repeal the 1987 amendment, so far without success.
Image credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images, via Music Business Worldwide.
Source: Music Business Worldwide