In Mariah Carey world the first day of the holiday season begins on November 1. As she defrosts and her iconic soundtrack “All I Want for Christmas is You” begins to infiltrate all playlists, a familiar rival wants to derail the Christmas spirit, once again launching another lawsuit on the holiday queen herself.
Andy Stone has filed yet another lawsuit against Mariah Carey following a similar lawsuit he has filed and droppde last year. This time, Stone is asking for $20 million USD in damages, alleging that Carey has copied one of his own 1993 songs for the now Christmas hit made popular by Carey. On stage, Stone is known as Vince Van and the Valiants. In a civil lawsuit against Carey and her co-writer Walter Afanasieff as well as Sony Music Entertainment, Stone alleges “copyright infringement and unjust enrichment” over the song of the same title “All I Want for Christmas Is You” which he claims to have co-written in Nashville and released in 1989.
In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Stone’s lawyers have stated that the song received radio play in 1993 and became a hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart the following year, which is around the same time the now-classic festive anthem from Carey was released. The lawsuit claims that Carey copied the “compositional structure” of Stone’s 1989 track. They claim that Carey and her collaborators “undoubtedly had access” to Stone’s track, “given its wide commercial and cultural success.” In the re-filed complaint, Stone’s lawyers argue, “Carey has without licensing, palmed off these works with her incredulous origin story, as if those works were her own. Her hubris knowing no bounds, even her co-credited songwriter doesn’t believe the story she has spun. This is simply a case of actionable infringement.”
Carey’s team has not yet responded. Since the release of the track, Carey’s version has received yearly radio play like clockwork during the time of the holidays. It has also topped the Billboard Hot 100 and been certified Diamond by the RIAA for more than 10 million copies sold — making it the only Christmas song to have accomplished this major feat.
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