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Court Rules: Sony Music Allowed to Sell Michael Jackson Songs Even If They’re Fake

Photo by Tim Whitby/Getty Images

Back in 2014, a lawsuit was filed against Michael Jackson’s estate and Sony Music for allegedly using fake vocals on three songs released on a posthumous Jackson album. However, on Tuesday, the court ruled in favor of Sony Music and the estate, clearing them from the class-action lawsuit.

According to Variety, judges ruled that Sony and the estate did not know for sure whether Jackson sang on the three songs. The album’s promotional material was told it would be “strictly commercial speech,” so they were not liable for the charges filed by anyone.

“Because [Sony Music, MJJ Productions and the Jackson estate] lacked actual knowledge of the identity of the lead singer on [‘Breaking News,’ ‘Monster,’ and ‘Keep Your Head Up’], they could only draw a conclusion about that issue from their own research and the available evidence,” court documents say. “Under these circumstances, [Sony Music, MJJ Productions and the Jackson estate’s] representations about the identity of the singer amounted to a statement of opinion rather than fact.”

So, we are still unsure if it was Jackson or not. What we do know is that Sony Music and the Jackson’s estate are cleared in the lawsuit. “We had a total victory in the appellate court in the Vera Serova Class Action matter,” attorney for the estate Howard Weitzman said in a statement.

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