UMG Seeks Dismissal of Drake’s Texas Petition, Cites Lack of Evidence in “Not Like Us” Case

Drake’s legal battle against Universal Music Group (UMG) continues, but the music giant is now pushing to get one of his petitions dismissed. Last year, Drake filed legal actions against both UMG and Spotify, alleging defamation and payola related to Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, Not Like Us. While Drake withdrew his initial petition to prepare for a full-fledged lawsuit, his Texas-based petition against UMG remains active—for now.

On January 23, UMG filed a motion in Bexar County, Texas, to dismiss Drake’s petition. In their filing, they argue that the Toronto rapper has not provided sufficient evidence to support his allegations or justify pre-suit discovery.

“Because [Drake’s] petition is related to and was filed in response to UMG’s protected free speech, and because [Drake] cannot carry his burden to establish by clear and specific evidence that he is entitled to pre-suit discovery, the Court should dismiss [Drake’s] retaliatory legal action against UMG,” the motion reads.

The filing further criticizes Drake’s claims, stating that they lack evidentiary support: “[Drake] provides nothing outside of his verified petition, which alone cannot provide an evidentiary basis for a petition. Even looking into the petition […] there is no evidentiary support for his asserted need for pre-suit deposition of UMG.”