Universal Music Group (UMG) has said that Limp Bizkit's allegations of deliberately withholding millions in royalties were "based on a fallacy."
Rolling Stone reports that in motioning for the case to be dismissed, the company said that "Plaintiffs' entire narrative that UMG tried to conceal royalties is a fiction."
In October, Limp Bizkit claimed that UMG had "designed and implemented royalty software and systems that were deliberately designed to conceal artists' royalties and keep those profits for itself."
UPDATE (11/25, 6:30 p.m. ET): Limp Bizkit's legal team shared a statement with Exclaim!: "When someone is caught red handed, their first response is often to hire very expensive outside law firms who first, as a matter of course, try anything to dismiss the suit when they are in trouble with the facts. In this case, we believe UMG is using a typical, formulaic, well-trodden strategy of reaching for any escape route by desperately grasping at technicalities. We will rely on facts, the law, and the courts. We have no desire to prove a solid case in press releases."
The nu metal stalwarts claim that with their resurgence in popularity, the label owes them an amount that could "easily surpass" $200 million USD.
Limp Bizkit's October filing saw them seek at least $20 million in damages for breach of contract, fraudulent concealment, copyright infringement and more. Additionally, frontman Fred Durst sought to void Limp Bizkit's contracts with UMG and his own Flawless Records.
Rolling Stone reports that in response, UMG claimed the following:
UMG said that the dispute started with a director at the company reaching out to Limp Bizkit's manager over email seeking to set up a vendor profile so the band could get their recording royalties. The business manager had told the UMG director that most of the band members had sold off their royalty shares, but over a year later, he emailed again, clarifying he was referring to publishing royalties, not the recordings. UMG said the email communications, which they included in their reply, 'eviscerate' the fraud claims.
The record company claims they paid the band over $1 million in back royalties, while paying Durst's Flawless Records $2.3 million, covering all of the "outstanding royalties and profits."