Davido Faces U.S. Court Deadline Over Alleged Song Theft and $45,000 Unpaid Settlement
Afrobeats star Davido has been ordered to appear before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York within 21 days over allegations of intellectual property theft and breach of settlement.
Four Nigerian artists—Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru—filed a lawsuit accusing Davido of stealing their 2022 song Work and using it to create Strawberry on Ice, which he released in 2024.
The plaintiffs claimed they initially shared the demo of Work with Davido for a possible collaboration, only for him to pass it on to Sierra Leonean singer Emmerson, who allegedly sampled the vocals and instrumentals without permission. The suit also names Emmerson, Carlos Jenkins, Matthew Quinney, Marques Miles II, and Wynn Records.
After months of back-and-forth, both parties reportedly reached a settlement on March 14, 2025, which included a $45,000 payment from Davido and royalty sharing—40% of the composition rights and 20% of the sound recording rights. However, Davido allegedly missed the March 24 payment deadline.
The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit on April 4, seeking $150,000 in damages and a court order transferring a portion of the song’s copyright to them. They are also asking the court to bar Davido and his team from further copyright infringements.
As of now, Davido has yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
