Legal Opinion

Williams v. CURINGTON

District Court, District of Columbia

Decided August 24, 2009No. Civil Action 07-0714 (JDB)PublishedCited by 1 opinion

1Opinion of the Court

MEMORANDUM OPINION

JOHN D. BATES, District Judge.

Plaintiff Esther Williams brings this action against defendant Robert Curington. 2 The dispute concerns the rights to Williams’s 1975 recording of the song “Last Night Changed It All (I Really Had A Ball).” Williams claims that she has held the copyright to the sound recording of the song since 1977, but Curington claims that he holds the copyright. In the mid-2000s, Curington sold non-exclusive licenses for the sound recording to Island Def Jam Music Group (“Def Jam”) and Interscope Geffen A & M Records (“Inter-scope”). Williams asserts claims…

2Cases cited11 opinions

Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1986
Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, Administratrix of the Estate of CatrettSupreme Court of the United States · 1986
Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co.Supreme Court of the United States · 1991
Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.Supreme Court of the United States · 1977
Lyons Partnership, L.P., a Texas Limited Partnership v. Morris Costumes, Incorporated Philip Morris Amy Morris SmithCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2001

6 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.

3Cited by1 opinion

Olson v. Law Offices of Paul GarrityDistrict Court, District of Columbia · 2026