Chlöe Bailey and Columbia Records Accused of ‘Exploiting’ Songwriter’s Contributions in Lawsuit

Chlöe Bailey is being accused of not paying a songwriter-producer, Melvin Moore, professionally known as “OneInThe4Rest” (“4Rest”), for his contributions across her “Trouble In Paradise” album.

In a lawsuit filed Feb. 20, and independently viewed by Variety, Moore accuses Bailey and her labels, Columbia Records and Parkwood Entertainment, of deceptive business practices including withholding payment for his work on three songs that appear on Bailey’s 2024 project: “Favorite,” “Same Lingerie” and “Might as Well.”

“In particular, the lyrics and narratives were derived from intimate and real-life situations, reflecting [Moore’s] relationships, emotions, and personal struggles,” reads the complaint. Moore outlines how Bailey and her label “failed to seek permission from [Moore] to commercially exploit” his work and “also failed to engage in good-faith negotiations with [Moore] prior to the commercial release” of these songs.

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They claim Moore did not receive “proper professional writing credit,” and allege he was not compensated for “his significant contributions.” The lawsuit includes multiple mentions of ways in which Bailey and the label promoted the music without Moore’s credits on the songs.

Moore is a Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer who has has written and contributed to songs from G-Eazy, French Montana, Usher, Ty Dolla Sign, Chris Brown, 2 Chainz, John Legend, Jason Derulo, BTS, Kanye West, Trey Songz and Drake.

Representatives for Bailey and Columbia Records did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.

In a separate cease and desist letter issued by Moore’s representatives, the songwriter states he will not be granting any rights to the label or Bailey for the songs, nor will he be granting a first-use mechanical license for his work. The letter demands a payment of $10,00 as well as immediately ceasing from any and all further unauthorized uses until both parties reach an agreement.

The proposed negotiations on Moore’s part would include a royalty allocation of 2% per master and an additional publishing allocation. They are also asking for the songs to be removed from
all digital music service providers, websites, blogs and social media platforms.

The civil lawsuit requests actual and statutory damages, including up to $150,000 per willful infringement and punitive damages of $5 million per song.