Discussions appear to have gone south as country music trio Lady A has filed a lawsuit against Seattle-based blues singer Lady A.
Billboard reported the country music band, which made headlines last month when it announced it would change its name from Lady Antebellum to Lady A, filed the suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in Nashville.
According to the suit, the case comes from singer Lady A’s “attempt to enforce purported trademarks rights in a mark that Plaintiffs have held for more than a decade.”
The band announced its name change June 11, as national protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death by police continued. It previously adopted the name after the antebellum-style homes they did photoshoots in front of.
"As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the south that influenced us…Southern Rock, Blues, R&B, Gospel and of course Country," the band said in a statement at the time. "But we are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referring to the period of history before The Civil War, which includes slavery."
RELATED: 'We are deeply sorry': Lady Antebellum changes name to Lady A
In addition, the suit alleges that after talks between band members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and David Haywood, singer Anita White and their respective attorneys, White’s new team “delivered a draft settlement agreement that included an exorbitant monetary demand.”
The amount isn’t in the suit, but a statement from Lady A says White and her team ”have demanded a $10 million payment.”
According to the suit and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filings, Lady A applied to register Lady A for entertainment purposes, including live musical performances and streaming. It was registered July 26, 2011, after there was no opposition filed by any person or entity.
Applications to register the name for musical recordings and clothing were also granted after there was no opposition.
“Reluctantly we have come to the conclusion that we need to ask a court to affirm our right to continue to use the name Lady A, a trademark we have held for many years,” the group said in a statement.
“It was a stirring in our hearts and reflection on our own blindspots that led us to announce a few weeks ago that we were dropping the word ‘Antebellum’ from our name and moving forward using only the name so many of our fans already knew us by,” the statement continued. “When we learned that Ms. White had also been performing under the name Lady A, we had heartfelt discussions with her about how we can all come together and make something special and beautiful out of this moment.”
Before the discussions, White made it clear she was not happy about the name change.
"This is my life. Lady A is my brand, I've used it for over 20 years, and I'm proud of what I've done," she told Rolling Stone on June 12. "This is too much right now. They're using the name because of a Black Lives Matter incident that, for them, is just a moment in time. If it mattered, it would have mattered to them before. It shouldn't have taken George Floyd to die for them to realize that their name had a slave reference to it."
But the country trio’s camp reached out to White, and the trio met with her and her team over Zoom, appearing to make progress.
RELATED: 'Authentic conversations were had:' Country band Lady A meets with blues singer Lady A
"Transparent, honest, and authentic conversations were had," the band and singer said in their respective Instagram posts on June 15. "We are excited to share we are moving forward with positive solutions and common ground. The hurt is turning into hope."
But between then and now, conversations have broken down.
“We never even entertained the idea that she shouldn’t also be able to use the name Lady A, and never will – today’s action doesn’t change that,” the music group said in its statement announcing the lawsuit. “Instead, we shared our stories, listened to each other, prayed and spent hours on the phone and text writing a song about this experience together. We felt we had been brought together for a reason and saw this as living out the calling that brought us to make this change in the first place.
“We’re disappointed that we won’t be able to work together with Anita for that greater purpose. We’re still committed to educating ourselves, our children and doing our part to fight for the racial justice so desperately needed in our country and around the world.”
The group’s full statement can be read at Billboard.com. White has not commented on the suit directly, but tweeted, “No Weapon formed against me shall prosper,” and included the hashtag #TheRealLadyA.
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