Drake Scores Minor Victory As Judge Denies UMG’s Motion To Stop Discovery In Lawsuit

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Drake has scored a small victory in his lawsuit against UMG, with a judge denying the label’s attempt to halt all discovery after they argued the OVO star was unfairly demanding “highly commercially sensitive documents.”

The ruling came down on Wednesday (April 2), following UMG’s filing last month.

“I cannot find on that basis that a stay of discovery is warranted. Here there is only one defendant, which weighs against staying discovery,” Judge Jeannette Vargas said, according to Inner City Press. “UMG can object to individual requests. The motion to stay discovery is denied.”

However, she has not ruled on UMG’s separate filing to dismiss the case all together. She instead set a hearing for June 30.

In response to the ruling, Drake’s lead attorney Michael Gottlieb issued the following statement via press release: “Now it’s time to see what UMG was so desperately trying to hide.”

In their filing to halt discovery in March, lawyers for UMG alleged Drake is demanding “executive compensation details, specifically the annual incentive plans for John Janick, CEO of Interscope Records,” as well as to see Kendrick Lamar‘s record contract – things they said he should not be allowed to see.

In response to their request, Gottlieb told Billboard at the time: “It is unsurprising that UMG is desperate to avoid discovery. This motion is a ploy to delay producing documents and communications that UMG hopes to keep hidden and buried. If UMG has nothing to hide, it should not have an issue with discovery.”

Days earlier, UMG also filed a request to dismiss Drake’s lawsuit with prejudice.

“Plaintiff, one of the most successful rap artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated,” lawyers for the label wrote. “Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds. Plaintiff’s complaint is utterly without merit and should be dismissed with prejudice.”

Gottlieb also responded to this, with similar sentiments as his above statement.

“UMG wants to pretend that this is about a rap battle in order to distract its shareholders, artists and the public from a simple truth: a greedy company is finally being held responsible for profiting from dangerous misinformation that has already resulted in multiple acts of violence,” he wrote. “This motion is a desperate ploy by UMG to avoid accountability, but we have every confidence that this case will proceed and continue to uncover UMG’s long history of endangering and abusing its artists.”