Chad Hugo has taken legal action against Pharrell, claiming that Pharrell kept royalties from their work in The Neptunes and N.E.R.D.
On January 23, Hugo’s lawyers filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. They accuse Pharrell of breaking trust and hiding financial details, denying Hugo his rightful share of company and production duo earnings.
Hugo says he was involved in almost 50 studio sessions from 2019 to 2021. Despite this, he claims Pharrell didn’t give him his fair share of publishing and recording royalties and took full credit for Hugo’s work without properly acknowledging or paying him.
Additionally, Hugo claims he is owed up to $1 million in royalties for N.E.R.D’s 2017 album “No One Ever Really Dies,” along with a share of merchandise sales. Hugo is asking for a jury trial.
This legal issue has been developing for years. In April 2024, Chad accused Pharrell of trying to take sole control of the Neptunes trademark.
“Pharrell is surprised by this,” a spokesperson for him told Billboard. “We have tried several times to work out ownership and management of the trademark together with Chad. We want to make sure no third party takes it and ensure both Chad and Pharrell share ownership.”
