Young Thug

In this week's legal recap, a look at the biggest music law stories from 2022, from Taylor Swift to Cardi B to Young Thug - plus a look ahead at 2023.

Luke](https://www.billboard.com/artist/dr-luke/)’s defamation lawsuit against [Kesha](https://www.billboard.com/artist/kesha/) over her bombshell rape accusations against the producer. Atlanta prosecutors [offered no apologies](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.email.billboard.com%2F%3Fqs%3D8bd835f68d4337ec536739e73ff59c46175134729868e96681e4925a4f235ba6aab2958168c440e2a8daf3d9c8a69b1a&data=05%7C01%7Cbdonahue%40billboard.com%7C0035cc6cdb1a40f98c5108daedc76943%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638083737964428977%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=xQjL97heZd770AGoD7gc9AEC1RH39CwOEc1%2FzTucW%2FI%3D&reserved=0) for the music-heavy charges, but in September, lawmakers in California [enacted landmark legislation that would sharply restrict the practice in that state, creating a blueprint](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.email.billboard.com%2F%3Fqs%3D8bd835f68d4337ecfc44a4e8e93202ba0deb160aa9ad91ba9d2fbd5cae8b2226b52b2594c2894fb119c7c4612ef4432d&data=05%7C01%7Cbdonahue%40billboard.com%7C0035cc6cdb1a40f98c5108daedc76943%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638083737964428977%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=iylRgxnKb4TGbGa%2FQ9J4XSEVUOWmBMve7MHRZ%2Fxt35I%3D&reserved=0) that other jurisdictions might follow. And after [coming up just short in 2022](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.email.billboard.com%2F%3Fqs%3D8bd835f68d4337ec379693bf5e457d859c65942abdf239a94b1b3c3f119e8460d15ad9a8219392f86d9cf81e8cdcefe3&data=05%7C01%7Cbdonahue%40billboard.com%7C0035cc6cdb1a40f98c5108daedc76943%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638083737964428977%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=FT7ZNZ9vU23O2jd0%2BgBODLYYrLIE7oCNGdc%2FTqXC7bY%3D&reserved=0), lawmakers in New York will again try to pass legislation that could limit how prosecutors in that state use rap music to win convictions. The case was filed by Julia Holcomb, who says she was the underage girl that Tyler repeatedly referenced in his racy 2011 memoir, in which he said he was “so in love I almost took a teen bride.” She [won a $4 million defamation verdict](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.email.billboard.com%2F%3Fqs%3Dfa94f04cf9aa340717f38f6c4700e6f4b5ae1197b0f43fb75f58d2eb57dc89a9d2fed63be8740a928739cd33de8718c8&data=05%7C01%7Cbdonahue%40billboard.com%7C0035cc6cdb1a40f98c5108daedc76943%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638083737964428977%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ll29LX86mPvGT8GcymR4Jdbzyk5ARK4npbbkTuQVBCA%3D&reserved=0) against a bomb-throwing YouTuber, then [beat back a multimillion lawsuit](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.email.billboard.com%2F%3Fqs%3Dfa94f04cf9aa340766e29500ffbfde52cc24eacd22c830e84c3f75186be5e22448179c276b56b9dcdb7cbfc82fba3aa6&data=05%7C01%7Cbdonahue%40billboard.com%7C0035cc6cdb1a40f98c5108daedc76943%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638083737964428977%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=UwOhjFO46pwvxaZVMIMEIq%2ByvIxgNnKns1FU4BFB6dE%3D&reserved=0) claiming she Photoshopped a random guy onto the “raunchy” cover of a mixtape. 1501 had argued that the judge himself could decide whether her 2021 release Something for Thee Hotties counted as an “album” under her record deal, but her lawyers said she must be “allowed her day in court.” [how the practice had persisted for years](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.email.billboard.com%2F%3Fqs%3D8bd835f68d4337eca4ba5c05edf1d6253d6f864c4379e4804ca7e94365fe7405dd6c4fe156153eba0ce47fa95968beb2&data=05%7C01%7Cbdonahue%40billboard.com%7C0035cc6cdb1a40f98c5108daedc76943%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638083737964428977%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=woZxIMXVDXYbdnDBdB%2FRlJhe%2Fjk5adWTqpuInaBnGEM%3D&reserved=0) despite longstanding criticism that it unfairly sways juries and threatens artistic expression — and that was before we knew what the year had in store. This week: A Oh, and she also resolved a long-standing criminal case in New York by [taking a misdemeanor plea deal](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.email.billboard.com%2F%3Fqs%3Dfa94f04cf9aa3407bc8e1a7eb20d54151bfeda24239fd2a4a50cffda2f3fd3c905d0f899dc365cbc6b62cb963b44ada9&data=05%7C01%7Cbdonahue%40billboard.com%7C0035cc6cdb1a40f98c5108daedc76943%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638083737964428977%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Zr4oiejE9MLUmbvVoxX8jPo4eRJB6xERIPNCZfK%2BoWI%3D&reserved=0). Two months after jurors cleared Cardi of any wrongdoing, the judge ruled that he would not “second-guess” the verdict. T This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings, and all the fun stuff in between. All current readers will continue to get the newsletter directly into their inbox every Tuesday, but now anyone else can also sign up