CALIFORNIA (CelebrityAccess) – A California appeals court ruled on Tuesday that legendary producer Quincy Jones was not entitled to the majority of the $9.4 million he was awarded by a jury back in 2017 following lawsuit that found he was owed royalties and fees by the Michael Jackson estate for the use of his productions in the concert film “This Is It” and two Cirque du Soleil shows.
The film was created from rehearsal footage for Jackson’s comeback tour, which he was in the midst of planning when he died in 2009 at age 50.
In the decision, the panel of the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles said that the judge who handled the trial had made an error in allowing jurors to interpret producer agreements and then issue financial awards. It also found that the jury wrongfully granted Jones money from licensing fees, incorrectly granted Jones money for remixes of Jackson’s master recordings, and wrongly went beyond the 10% royalty rate Jones was owed for record sales.
As such, the court reversed nearly $6.9 million initially awarded to Jones, while keeping intact $2.5 million, which he said he was owed for the use of his masters in “This Is It” and other fees.
Jones, who produced and helped to shape some of Jackson’s most iconic albums including Thriller, Bad, and Off The Wall, had sought $30 million from the estate when he first filed the lawsuit in 2013.
