Pop stars Sam Smith and Normani are officially heading to a jury trial. A federal judge has refused to dismiss a long-running copyright infringement lawsuit claiming their massive 2019 global hit “Dancing With a Stranger” plagiarized an earlier track of the same name.
The legal battle stems from allegations brought forward by artist Jordan Vincent, who released a track titled “Dancing With a Stranger” in 2015.
The Accusation: Vincent alleges that Smith and Normani stole key musical elements and composition structures from his earlier work.
The Defense: Smith and Normani maintain that they had never heard Vincent’s song prior to creating their track, arguing that any musical similarities are pure coincidence—a legal defense known as “independent creation”.
In a recent ruling, U.S. District Judge Wesley L. Hsu determined that the question of independent creation cannot be resolved through a summary judgment dismissal. Instead, Judge Hsu ruled that the complex copyright matter must be handed over to a jury to decide during a full trial.
