Mariah Carey received $92,000 in legal fees for her unsuccessful “All I Want For Christmas Is You” lawsuit

Mariah Carey has received more than $92,000 following the dismissal of a lawsuit concerning All I Want For Christmas Is You.

The Hero hitmaker faced a lawsuit from country artist Andy Stone, known as Vince Vance, in November 2023. He claimed that her holiday classic was copied from his 1988 Christmas song of the same title. However, his copyright infringement lawsuit was dismissed in March.

According to court documents acquired by Rolling Stone, Vince is required to pay Mariah $92,300 in attorney’s fees, which is part of a total sanction of $109,983 imposed by the court. 

The court determined that Mariah and her co-defendants, Sony Music, Kobalt Publishing, and producer Walter Afanasieff, had faced “needless expenses responding to frivolous legal arguments and unsupported factual contentions.” Consequently, the court ordered Stone to pay the incurred costs, which included over $14,000 to Sony.

Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani determined that Stone and his co-writer Troy Powers did not present enough evidence to support their claim of infringement.

She also condemned the “egregious” behavior of Stone and his attorneys, Gerard Fox and Douglas M. Schmidt. 

The dismissal of the $20 million lawsuit stated: “While each instance of sanctionable conduct, on its own, may not justify more than a stern reprimand, it is the cumulative misconduct presented in Plaintiffs’ Motion that renders this an egregious situation necessitating more severe sanctions.”

In the most recent filing, the judge observed that Stone’s attorneys had not referenced Powers in their documents, although Mr. Fox had indicated he “no longer had contact” with him.

She stated: “Until leave to withdraw is granted, Fox and Schmidt are obligated to represent Powers’ interests to the best of their ability.

“It seems that Plaintiffs’ counsel have not fulfilled their ethical duty to Powers.”

The lawyers must submit their argument by 5 January, explaining “why their failure to comply with the California Rules of Professional Conduct and the Local Rules regarding withdrawal should not lead to disciplinary action.” 

Not responding may lead to further penalties.