Musician George Clinton Sues Former Business Partner Over Alleged Withheld Royalties Worth Tens of Millions

Know the shocking reasons behind George Clinton filing a lawsuit against his business partner and agent, Armen Boladian. Check it out below.

Written by Sakshi Shelke , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 12, 2025 | 08:08 AM GMT | 7.9K

George Clinton (CC: Getty images)

George Clinton has taken legal action against Armen Boladian, his former business partner and agent, suing him for alleged copyright infringement and fraud in an effort to reclaim ownership of his music catalog, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

As reported by the publication, court documents filed on Tuesday in a Florida federal court allege that Boladian and several of his companies engaged in “decades-long schemes” involving forged signatures on contracts that transferred Clinton’s rights to his music.

The complaint claims that Boladian fraudulently acquired ownership of approximately 90 percent of Clinton’s catalog while also withholding tens of millions of dollars in royalties.

In addition to seeking unspecified damages, Clinton has requested an immediate court order to prevent Boladian from accepting bids for the rights to his music, which he has allegedly been shopping around. The musician is reportedly utilizing a provision of copyright law that allows creators to reclaim ownership of their works after a certain period.

Richard Busch, the attorney representing Boladian, reportedly stated that he intends to file for dismissal of the complaint and seek sanctions. He also noted that this lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions Clinton has filed against Bridgeport Music (one of Boladian’s companies) and Boladian over the past three decades, all raising similar issues. Busch emphasized that Clinton “has lost each and every time.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Clinton believes that the paperwork transferring ownership of his work was forged. In a 2001 case concerning the rights to many of his songs, a federal judge ruled in favor of Bridgeport Music.

The lawsuit details various alleged fraudulent actions by Boladian, including misleading Clinton into signing blank and boilerplate agreements that transferred ownership of his catalog.

The legal complaint reportedly states, “In addition, Boladian would also pay third parties to claim ownership of Plaintiff’s work to defraud Plaintiff of royalties derived from such works.” It further alleges, “For example, Boladian paid Mark Bass to have him falsely claim Anybody Get Funked Up as his own in order to defraud Plaintiff of royalty shares in this song.”

Among other allegations, Clinton’s lawsuit accuses Boladian of fraud, copyright infringement, and breach of fiduciary duty, according to The Hollywood Reporter.