Miley Cyrus Faces Setback in Flowers Copyright Lawsuit Over Bruno Mars’ When I Was Your Man; Details Inside

A judge has recently rejected Miley Cyrus' request to dismiss the copyright lawsuit concerning her 2023 hit song, Flowers.

Written by Tejas Mundhada , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 20, 2025 | 10:59 AM GMT | 5K

Miley Cyrus (Youtube)

In the latest development in a long-running legal battle over the Flowers copyright lawsuit, Miley Cyrus’s request was recently denied by a judge. The Hannah Montana actress had sought to dismiss the copyright lawsuit, which claimed that her 2023 hit Flowers was actually a copy of Bruno Mars’ track When I Was Your Man.

The Party in the U.S.A. hitmaker was first sued in September last year by Tempo Music Investments. The firm in question had previously purchased the catalog rights of When I Was Your Man co-writer Philip Lawrence.

It is important to note that neither Bruno Mars nor Philip Lawrence was named as a plaintiff in the case. Following the September filing, Miley Cyrus counter-filed for dismissal in November of the same year.

Just yesterday, a judge ruled against her dismissal request, clearing the path for the trial. The judge stated that the When I Look at You singer and her legal team had a “misunderstanding” of the legal precedent regarding copyrights.

According to Variety, the judge also noted that Cyrus’s team had argued that Tempo Music Investments had no right to sue her, as it had acquired Lawrence’s rights to When I Was Your Man without the consent of the other songwriters.

Per the legal team of Miley Cyrus, Tempo had undermined their rights to sue. However, the judge ruled that this argument was “incorrect” and noted that Tempo holds an “exclusive right” to the copyright.

As reported by the outlet, the ruling states, “By transferring all of that interest, Tempo now steps into Lawrence’s shoes and is a co-owner of the exclusive rights to the copyright.”

The ruling further emphasized that since Lawrence, as a co-owner, has the right to sue for infringement, the same applies to Tempo. Tempo’s attorney, Alex Weingarten, celebrated the ruling and stated that his client looks forward to resolving the case with confidence.

Miley Cyrus’s Flowers was released in January 2023.