Universal Music Group has filed a 144-page motion to dismiss Drake's pre-action petition filed in Texas last November, where he accuses UMG and Spotify of colluding to boost the streaming numbers for Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" diss.
In their motion, UMG cited The Texas Citizens Participate Act, which protects citizens from retaliatory lawsuits that seek to silence them from expressing freedom of speech. They argue that Drake has failed to provide evidence that they defamed Drake by distributing "Not Like Us."
The filing reads, "Petitioner [Drake] requests to depose both iHeartMedia and UMG to investigate the relationship between iHeartMedia and UMG. But Petitioner does not describe why a deposition of both iHeartMedia’s corporate representative and of UMG’s corporate representative would be necessary to investigate any alleged agreement between iHeartMedia and UMG respecting 'Not Like Us.' Without such explanation, Petitioner has failed to establish any likely benefit of a pre-suit deposition of UMG, let alone show that the benefits outweigh the burdens."
In addition to motioning to dismiss the case, UMG is also asking for reimbursement of legal fees.
Source: XXL
