A federal judge narrowly defined the parameters of Terry Williams’ lawsuit against Grammy-winning artist Missy Elliott, effectively preventing Williams from leveraging Elliott’s fame and subsequent success in his claims over songwriting credits. U.S. District Judge Nitza Quiñones Alejandro limited Williams’ arguments strictly to the four disputed tracks from Sista’s 1994 album “4 All the Sistas Around da World,” dismissing attempts to expand the case beyond its initial scope.
The lawsuit, filed by Williams in 2018, claimed he deserved co-writing credits and royalties for songs created nearly three decades earlier, before Elliott established her solo career. Williams’ attempts to connect his claims to Aaliyah’s 1996 track “Heartbroken” were rejected by the judge in August 2024, who ruled these particular allegations came too late to be legally viable.
Throughout the seven-year legal battle, Elliott maintained that Williams “did not write a single lyric or in any manner contribute” to the disputed songs. Elliott consistently emphasized her position as the primary creative force behind her musical compositions. The case underscores the importance of properly registering compositions with performance rights organizations to establish clear ownership and ensure proper royalty distribution. The prolonged legal proceedings faced multiple complications, including Williams eventually representing himself after losing legal counsel and the dismissal of peripheral claims involving Timbaland and various record labels.
The prolonged legal proceedings concluded in August 2025 with a confidential settlement agreement reached just days before jury selection was scheduled to begin. While terms remain undisclosed, Elliott’s legal team reported that no payment was made to Williams as part of the resolution. The court dismissed Williams’ claims as the last remnants of his lawsuit were formally resolved through the settlement.
The case highlights the challenges of establishing collaborative songwriting credits decades after creation, with the judge’s rulings underscoring how procedural timing serves as a critical factor in copyright disputes. The situation reflects how musicians must actively protect their sync deals and intellectual property to maintain control over potential revenue streams. By blocking Williams from introducing arguments about Elliott’s subsequent fame and success, the court effectively focused the case on the specific merits of the original claims rather than the artist’s current celebrity status.
The settlement allowed both parties to avoid the costs and uncertainties of trial while ending a dispute that had lingered since the early days of Elliott’s music career, long before she became a household name in hip-hop.
