$50 Million Lawsuit Against Nelly Dropped — But It’s Not Over Yet

The $50 million lawsuit filed against Nelly by fellow St. Lunatics member Ali has officially been dropped — but the legal drama may be far from over.

According to Billboard, Ali moved to dismiss the case on April 10, but Nelly’s legal team isn’t letting it go that easily. They’re asking the judge to keep the case open so they can pursue potential sanctions and even a countersuit over what they call a “frivolous” legal attack.

“Plaintiff’s counsel succeeded in its frivolous campaign aimed at forcing [Nelly] to spend money defending Plaintiff’s ridiculous time-barred claim,” Nelly’s attorneys wrote. “The Court is respectfully requested to retain jurisdiction and set a briefing and hearing schedule for [potential sanctions].”

The lawsuit, originally filed in September 2023, accused Nelly — real name Cornell Haynes — of manipulating the group into believing they would be compensated for their contributions to his 2000 breakout album Country Grammar. Ali and the St. Lunatics claimed their work on tracks like “Steal the Show,” “Thicky Thick Girl,” “Batter Up,” and the title hit “Country Grammar” was erased from the record’s credits and profits.

Ali had previously made headlines with his outspoken comments in a 2023 VladTV interview, where he made it clear he’d never share a stage with Nelly again.

“A tiger ain’t never gonna change his stripes,” he said. “I watched it for 20 years and I’m the butt of the joke because it took me 20 years to realize it… He has no real, raw good intentions for others.”

With $50 million at stake and old friendships fractured, this may not be the last we hear from either side.