Salt-N-Pepa’s UMG Lawsuit Gets Dismissed; Group Responds

A federal judge has dismissed Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG). According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote on Thursday, Jan. 8, decided that the Grammy-winning group never owned the copyrights to their sound recordings and didn’t transfer them to anyone else. 

“Plaintiffs can only terminate copyright transfers that they executed,” the judge wrote. “None of the contracts identified by Plaintiffs indicate that they ever owned the Master Tapes.”

Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton initially filed the lawsuit in May 2025, citing the Copyright Act of 1976 that allows some artists to reclaim their copyright after 35 years.

UMG’s position was that these were “works made for hire,” which would not allow for the reclaiming of rights. Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit argued that they were not due to an agreement they’d signed.

Judge Denise Cote dismissed the lawsuit, granting UMG’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. Variety reports that the dismissal determined that Salt-N-Pepa had granted ownership to their first label, Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions, and that the contract for the recordings was between Next Plateau Records and NITA, which is owned by their former manager/producer Hurby “Luv Bug” Azur.

“Even with the court’s complete rejection of their claims, we remain open and willing to find a resolution to the matter and turn the page so we can focus our efforts on working together to amplify Salt-N-Pepa’s legacy for generations to come,” UMG said in a statement.

James referenced their legal fight during the group’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech in November. “This is the Influence Award,” she said onstage. “We have to keep using our influence until the industry honors creativity the way the audience does — with love, respect and fairness.”

After the judge’s decision, Salt-N-Pepa posted a message to their fans on Instagram: