It’s not unusual for people to wind up in court to defend their interests in a high-stakes, high-risk career like the music business, as we’ll see in this gallery of country music lawsuits.
The list of artists who’ve been involved in high-profile litigation is a long one, including big names like Brad Paisley, Kenny Rogers and Tim McGraw, all of whom have taken legal action against different record labels.
It’s both sad, and sometimes even mildly comical to see how often artists have to sue record labels — sometimes even to the extreme where a given artist is suing a record label while currently signed to and producing new music for that label.
Label deals gone wrong are probably the most common reason country stars end up filing lawsuits, but they can also end up in court facing former managers, business partners or even bandmates, as has happened over and over.
Some of the most high-profile lawsuits in country music were filed by songwriters claiming artists stole hit songs from other, lesser-known works.
One of the craziest lawsuits on our list made headlines worldwide after a superstar provided blistering testimony in open court.
While the reasons for these country music lawsuits vary dramatically, the heart of the matter generally remains the same: Money.
There are shockingly huge sums of money flying around the music business every day, and who’s going to get control of the lion’s share of it seems all too often to bring out the worst in people who, in many cases, were once close associates and friends.
Scroll through the pictures below to see the nastiest lawsuits in country music, and keep scrolling to see country music’s biggest feuds.
35 Country Music Lawsuits That Left Fans Shocked
The music business is a high-stakes, high-risk venture, and it’s not unusual for artists to wind up in court to defend their interests, as we’ll see in this gallery of the nastiest country music lawsuits.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
See Country Music’s Most Famous Feuds
A few of these famous country music feuds were settled peacefully. The rest? There are more than a handful of artists who just won’t talk to each other.
The Nastiest Lawsuits in the History of Country Music:
