Salt-N-Pepa’s Lawsuit Against UMG Over Master Recording Ownership Dismissed by Judge

Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group over control over their master recordings, including hits like 1987’s “Push It,” has been dismissed by a New York judge.

Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton, who constituted Salt-N-Pepa before DJ Spinderella joined, initially filed their lawsuit in May 2025, citing the Copyright Act of 1976 that allows some artists to reclaim their copyright after 35 years.

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They had filed termination notices in 2022 to end UMG’s ownership of their early recordings. UMG responded by claiming those notices were invalid because their songs were “works made for hire” and that they had no rights to the tracks, subsequently filing a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in August.

Judge Denise Cote dismissed the lawsuit on Thursday, granting UMG’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. The dismissal, reviewed by Variety, determined that Salt-N-Pepa had granted ownership to their first label Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions and that the contract for the recordings was between Next Plateau Records and NITA, the latter of which is owned by Hurby “Luv Bug” Azur.

“None of the contracts identified by Plaintiffs indicate that they ever owned the Master Tapes,” reads the dismissal. The judge further argued that “the statutory text in § 203 is clear: Plaintiffs can only terminate copyright transfers that they executed. They cannot terminate a copyright grant executed by NITA. As a result, Plaintiffs do not plausibly allege a claim for declaratory relief.”

In a statement to Variety, a representative for UMG said, “While we are gratified that the court dismissed this baseless lawsuit, it should never have been brought in the first place. Prior to this suit—and without any legal obligation to do so—we made multiple attempts to resolve the matter amicably, improve the artists’ compensation, and ensure that Salt-N-Pepa’s fans had access to their music. Even with the court’s complete rejection of their claims, we remain open and willing to find a resolution to the matter and turn the page so we can focus our efforts on working together to amplify Salt-N-Pepa’s legacy for generations to come.”

Representatives and attorneys for Salt-N-Pepa did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment. In November, the group used their induction speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony to call out “the industry” for a situation in which their music has been removed from streaming platforms.

“As we celebrate this moment, fans can’t even stream our music. It’s been taken down from all streaming platforms because the industry still doesn’t want to play fair,” said James.

“Salt-N-Pepa have never been afraid of a fight,” she continued. “This is the Influence Award. We have to keep using our influence until the industry honors creativity the way the audience does — with love, respect and fairness — and that includes streaming platforms too.”