Universal Music Group has filed a motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit brought forth by a number of artists whose work was caught up in the 2008 Universal Studios fire incident.
Last month it was revealed that more than 100,000 master recordings from the likes of Elton John, Nirvana, REM, Tupac, Cher, Jimmy Eat World and more had been destroyed during the fire.
As Variety reports, UMG has now hit back at a class-action lawsuit from Hole, Soundgarden, Steve Earle and the estates of Tupac and Tom Petty, claiming they can’t be held liable for damages as they owned the masters that were destroyed.
In their motion, UMG also stated they publicly disclosed the fire years ago and the suit should be thrown out as the statute of limitations has expired.
The lawsuit, which is seeking $100 million in damages, alleges that those affected weren’t made aware their masters had been destroyed, while also claiming Universal failed in its contractual obligations to protect the masters and stating they should have shared any settlements from the fire with artists who had work lost.
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