The complaint

Chase M. Taylor v. Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West; Very Good Touring, Inc.; Yeezy LLC; Yeezy Apparel LLC; and Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc., No. 5:26-cv-00899 (E.D.N.C., Western Division), is a 45-page complaint filed November 11, 2026, ECF No. 1, with a jury demand. The case is assigned to Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The docket lists the nature of suit as 820 Copyright and the cause as 28 U.S.C. § 2201. The complaint describes Taylor as a composer, music director, and opera performer who resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. It describes Very Good Touring, Inc. as the concert and tour production company of Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West, and it alleges, on information and belief, that Very Good Touring, Inc. is a California corporation with its principal place of business in Northridge, California, and that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West owns it. It describes Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. as the music production company of Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West, and it alleges, on information and belief, that Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. is a California corporation with its principal place of business in Northridge, California, and that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West owns it. It alleges, on information and belief, that Yeezy LLC and Yeezy Apparel LLC are Delaware companies that handle merchandising and licensing for Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West and for Very Good Touring, Inc., that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West owns them, and that each has its principal place of business in Northridge, California. It alleges, on information and belief, that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West resides in California. The complaint pleads subject matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1338(a), diversity jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1332, alleging that Taylor, a North Carolina resident, is diverse from each defendant and that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000, and jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2201 to declare authorship rights under the Copyright Act. It alleges the defendants contacted and recruited Taylor in North Carolina, made fraudulent representations to him there, booked his travel to and from North Carolina, and streamed and sold unauthorized copies of his work in North Carolina. It pleads personal jurisdiction under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-75.4 and venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1391. (Compl. paras. 12 to 22.)

The works

The complaint alleges that, in Cody, Wyoming, Taylor authored or co-authored the opera composition, instrumentation, and orchestration for these works in Nebuchadnezzar:

  • Our King
  • Say You Will
  • Eternal Life
  • Eternal Rest (Requiem Aeternam)
  • Mo Bamba
  • Wash Us in the Blood
  • 12000 Acres
  • Infinity Song
  • Fighting Fires
  • Total Praise
  • Future Sounds
  • Heard 'Em Say/Praise and Honor

It alleges that for the first Mary production he authored or co-authored the opera composition, instrumentation, and orchestration for these works:

  • Mary Mary
  • Gabriel's Message
  • Gabriel's Aria
  • Fecit Magnalia
  • Devil In A New Dress
  • Can't Tell Me Nothin
  • Can't Tell Me Nothin (Alternate Version)
  • Love Lockdown
  • Love Lockdown (Alternate Version)
  • Holy Terrain
  • I Thought About Killing You
  • Power
  • Power (Alternate Version)
  • Selah
  • Ave Maria
  • Gloria (Angels We Have Heard) (Unused version)
  • Little Drummer Boy (Unused version)
  • O Holy Night (Unused version)

The complaint alleges that his contributions included bass lines, rhythms, melodies, lyrics, and vocal lines, and that he also selected, arranged, and ordered each opera's constituent works, supplied stylistic, rhythmic, and instrumental throughlines, and created narrative, musical, and lyrical themes. It alleges he is an owner of the copyrights in those compositions, in the orchestrations and arrangements, and in Nebuchadnezzar and in Mary as whole works. It alleges that his Mary II revisions, including additional voices, melodies, counterpoints, arpeggiations, and more detailed chordal structures, and his Mary III revisions, including revised lyrics, new vocal lines, transposition of some of the pieces, additional choral parts for women, and scoring adjusted for Lincoln Center, made him an owner of the copyrights in the revised compositions, orchestrations, and arrangements, and in each revised opera as a whole. It states that some of the works were lawfully derived from earlier songs that were not suitable for the operas, and it alleges that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West did not create the new versions, did not write music for the opera, did not choose the key, tempo, or time signature, did not write the lyrics, and did not prepare the orchestrations. (Compl. paras. 60 to 64, 85 to 91, 101, 108, 109.)

What the complaint alleges

The complaint alleges that on November 19, 2019, while Taylor was in Raleigh, North Carolina, he was recruited for a lead role in an opera about Nebuchadnezzar and was told he had been selected to play Daniel. It alleges he flew from North Carolina to Cody, Wyoming, on November 20, 2019. It alleges that after he arrived he was told the opera had not been written and had to be performance-ready in four days, for a debut on November 24, 2019. It alleges he was confined in a high school band room in Cody and was not permitted to leave. It alleges he was told he could name his own fee, and was also told to set his rates as he would if invoicing a church, because the performance was described to him as charitable and the proceeds as being for a religious purpose. It alleges that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West confirmed that the production was religious and nonprofit. It alleges the statements that the performance was charitable, that the proceeds were for a religious purpose, and that the production was religious and nonprofit were false and were made so that Taylor would submit lower bills, and that, relying on the assurances regarding compensation, the purported religious and nonprofit nature of the production, and the promise of future work, and pressured by the confinement, he orally agreed to proceed with the engagement. It alleges he did not sign a contract and did not agree to give up any rights in the productions or the works. (Compl. paras. 30 to 50.)

The complaint alleges that on November 22, 2019, the defendants took Taylor to Los Angeles, California. It alleges he was told he would no longer play Daniel and would play the narrator, that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West then took the narrator role and switched Taylor to an unnamed featured soloist, and that Taylor was also asked to play piano and synthesizer. It alleges the November 24, 2019 performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles started more than two hours late and was recorded in audio and video. It alleges he had been told the show would be live only, and that shortly before the show was set to start he was told it would be recorded and livestreamed on Tidal under a $4 million contract as a one-time streaming event that would be retained for archival purposes only. It alleges that was false, that the performance remained available on Tidal for seven months, and, on information and belief, that it has received millions of views. It alleges, on information and belief, that the livestream was copied by others and remains available in whole or in part. It alleges he never authorized use of his voice or image and received none of the livestream proceeds. It alleges the performance earned millions in ticket sales, merchandise, and streaming revenue. (Compl. paras. 65 to 79.)

The complaint alleges that Taylor flew home to North Carolina, that he was contacted there about further operas, that he had not been paid for Nebuchadnezzar, and that he was told he would be paid if he continued to cooperate. It alleges he flew from Raleigh to Los Angeles on December 3, 2019, that the opera about Mary had not been written, and that it was scheduled to premiere on December 8, 2019, at Marine Stadium in Miami, Florida, during Art Basel. It alleges he was again told he could name his price and was promised future work and a producer credit. It alleges the December 8 performance started more than an hour late and was recorded and, on information and belief, that the defendants earned substantial profits from tickets and merchandise. It alleges a further performance on December 15, 2019, at Laskey Mesa in Calabasas, California, which it calls Mary II, and a performance on December 22, 2019, at Lincoln Center in New York City, which it calls Mary III. It alleges Mary III started more than an hour late, that both performances were recorded, and, on information and belief, that the defendants earned substantial profits from tickets and merchandise at each. (Compl. paras. 80 to 113.)

The complaint alleges the defendants did not provide a written contract, that Taylor did not play the lead role of Daniel, and that they gave him no producer credit and no public acknowledgment of his work as composer, orchestrator, or music director, or of his other work on the productions, and gave him no work after Mary III. It alleges the performances were not nonprofit, that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West and the defendant companies charged attendees for tickets, and, on information and belief, that they kept the profits. It alleges he invoiced some of the work at substantially less than market rates because of the nonprofit statements and a warning that he would not be hired again if he sought normal market rates, and that the defendants refused to pay the invoiced amount. It states that any offer to accept a lower rate is withdrawn. It alleges that in 2020 he and the defendants executed an agreement tolling time-based defenses on these claims, including statutes of limitations, and that the agreement remains in effect. (Compl. paras. 114 to 130.)

Later uses the complaint alleges

The complaint alleges that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West, Yeezy LLC, and Very Good Touring, Inc. later copied his compositions and orchestrations into new performances and musical works, without his permission and without credit, attribution, payment, or a share of profits or proceeds. The approximate first-use dates in its chart are:

  • Eternal Life, used in Eternal Life (April 2020).
  • 12000 Acres, used in 12000 Acres (May 1, 2020).
  • Wash Us in the Blood, used in Wash Us In the Blood (June 30, 2020).
  • Eternal Rest, used as Requiem Aeternam on an album titled Emmanuel (December 25, 2020).
  • Devil In a New Dress, used in Hurricane (September 14, 2021).
  • Future Sounds, used in Sounds (February 4, 2022).
  • Our King, used in Our King (November 18, 2022).
  • Our King, used in Nebuchadnezzar's Dream (March 2023).
  • Future Sounds, used in Telekinesis (July 28, 2023).
  • Devil In a New Dress, used in Slide (August 2, 2024).
  • Devil In a New Dress, used in Promotion (August 2, 2024).
  • Devil In a New Dress, used in Bomb (August 2, 2024).
  • Devil In a New Dress, used in Forever Rolling (August 2, 2024).
  • Fighting Fires, used in My Soul (August 3, 2024).

The complaint alleges the copying was not incidental. It alleges the songs were purchased, streamed, and downloaded millions of times and, on information and belief, were performed live for tens of thousands of people. It alleges, on information and belief, that the defendants earned millions from that use. It alleges that they did not share those profits. It also alleges that the defendants performed or incorporated his work into numerous concerts by a gospel choir. (Compl. paras. 125 to 129.)

The counts and relief

  • Count I, Declaratory Judgment of Copyright Ownership, against the defendants. The complaint alleges Taylor is an author, under 17 U.S.C. § 201, of the compositions, orchestrations, and performances for the listed works and of Nebuchadnezzar and three iterations of Mary, which it calls the Taylor Works, and that the defendants dispute that authorship and ownership. It alleges he was not an employee for hire: he did not sign an employment agreement, he received no employee benefits such as healthcare, vacation time, or 401(k) contributions, he was not treated as an employee for tax purposes, and the defendants did not exercise meaningful control over the creative process or the creative output. It alleges that composing and orchestrating an opera is skill-intensive and requires training and specialized expertise, that the opera practice is to retain performers, composers, and orchestrators as independent contractors, project by project, and that the defendants did not depart from that practice, that the relationship was not regular or recurring and lasted a month, that the defendants had no right to assign him new or different projects and that each engagement was separately agreed and required additional compensation, and that opera productions were not and are not within their regular line of business. It alleges there was no work-for-hire agreement, written or otherwise, and that he never transferred the rights. It seeks a declaration that he is an author of each of the Taylor Works.
  • Count II, Accounting, against each defendant. The complaint alleges that, as an author, Taylor is entitled to a share of all profits derived from the defendants' use or licensing of the Taylor Works. It alleges, on information and belief, that the defendants include co-authors or co-owners of one or more of the works, and it states that joint authors must share any profits earned from their use of a work with each other co-owner, on an equal basis. It alleges, on information and belief, that they obtained profits of millions of dollars. It alleges Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West profited through performances and album releases; Very Good Touring, Inc. by producing, organizing, and promoting concerts and performances; Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. by producing, selling, and promoting albums, tracks, and music videos; Yeezy LLC by creating, selling, promoting, and licensing merchandise and other products related to the works and the performances; and Yeezy Apparel LLC by creating, selling, promoting, and licensing apparel related to the works and the performances. It alleges none of them has provided a full, accurate, and verifiable accounting at any time.
  • Count III, False Imprisonment, against Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West, Very Good Touring, Inc., and Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. The complaint alleges they confined him in a high school band room in Cody, Wyoming, that the confinement was intentional and without legal justification, and that he did not consent and was not told of the restrictions beforehand.
  • Count IV, Promissory Estoppel, against Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West, Very Good Touring, Inc., and Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. The complaint alleges they, acting personally and through their agents, promised that if he performed he would be richly compensated and could name his price, that they intended to stage dozens of operas, with several performances of each, and that he would have a steady flow of future paid work, and that he would receive a producer credit. It alleges they asked him to clear his schedule. It alleges he relied on the promises and skipped four previously scheduled auditions in Seattle, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, and Houston, and other audition opportunities, for the 2020 opera season. It alleges they did not let him name his price, did not honor his invoices, did not provide the future work, and did not give him a producer credit or any other credit, and that he is entitled to compensation for the engagements it alleges he lost.
  • Count V, Unjust Enrichment, against the defendants. The complaint alleges that on each of four operas Taylor worked as composer, orchestrator, music director, featured soloist, and multi-instrumentalist, and also assisted with lighting, stage managing, staffing, directing, choreography, and program design, and that the productions could not have gone forward without that work. It alleges each opera was taken from conception to performance in a few days, that he worked around the clock in a confined space with old and insufficient instruments, and that he taught other performers their parts. It alleges the defendants profited by millions of dollars through ticket sales, a $4 million Tidal contract, media coverage, and merchandise, and by further millions through later songs. It alleges he spent more than 600 hours on the shows, performed as a featured soloist four times for a collective live audience of more than 24,000 people, not counting later listening on Tidal, traveled more than 14,000 miles, and made a synthesizer patch the defendants still use and have not paid for. It alleges he is entitled to fair compensation and has not received it.
  • Count VI, Fraud, against the defendants. The complaint alleges they defrauded Taylor. The false statements in its chart are: that a fully written, performance-ready opera existed, on November 19, 2019, in Raleigh, North Carolina, made on behalf of Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West and his companies, including, on information and belief, Very Good Touring, Inc. and Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc.; that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West would give him a written contract once he arrived in Wyoming, the same day in Raleigh; that the performances were nonprofit engagements for religious purposes, from November 20 to December 24, 2019, in Cody, Wyoming, Burbank and Los Angeles, California, and New York City, including statements made, on information and belief, for Very Good Touring, Inc., Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc., and Yeezy LLC; that Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West would pay whatever price Taylor invoiced, and that the team of Ye aka Kanye West aka Kanye Omari West was willing to pay top-dollar for top talent, from November 20 to 24, 2019, in Cody and Los Angeles; that he would receive substantial future work if he completed the projects, from November 20 to December 24, 2019, in Wyoming, California, and New York; that he would receive substantial future work if he invoiced at less than market rates, on November 20, 2019, in Cody; and that he would receive a producer credit, on November 23 to 25, 2019, in Los Angeles. It alleges the people who made the statements, acting for the defendants, knew they were false or made them recklessly, to induce him to forgo other work, take on more responsibility, and work before receiving any promised payment or credit. It alleges actual damages and punitive damages.
  • Count VII, Unfair And Deceptive Trade Practice, against the defendants. The complaint alleges the conduct was in and affected commerce, including commerce in North Carolina, where it alleges Taylor lost business income and the defendants received income from North Carolina for which they did not account to him. It alleges the promissory fraud, the repeated insufficient compensation for his services on each of the four operas, depriving him of the compensation the complaint says he was entitled to receive, and the confinement and working conditions are unfair and deceptive trade practices. It seeks damages, trebling, and attorneys' fees under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 75-1.1 et seq.

The prayer asks for a declaration that Taylor is a copyright owner and an author of the Taylor Works; a declaration that, as an author, he is entitled to a share of any profits earned from the use or licensing of the Taylor Works; damages for his share of the profits from the defendants' use; an injunction requiring the defendants to provide an annual accounting of profits from ongoing use; damages for losses from reliance on the fraudulent statements and broken promises; damages for the services rendered and benefits provided; damages for the injury from the false imprisonment; damages for the unfair and deceptive trade practices, trebled as provided by law; pre- and post-judgment interest; costs and attorneys' fees; and other relief the court deems just and proper. (Compl. paras. 131 to 187; prayer paras. 1 to 11.)