Judge Orders Nelly’s Legal Fees Repaid After “Groundless” Lawsuit

Judge Orders Nelly’s Legal Fees Repaid After “Groundless” Lawsuit From Former St. Lunatics Member

Nelly just scored a major legal win after a judge ruled that his former St. Lunatics bandmate’s lawsuit over Country Grammar was completely without merit — and now the opposing attorney has to pay up.

According to court documents, U.S. Judge Robert W. Lehrburger ordered that attorney Precious Felder Gates cover Nelly’s legal fees after pursuing what the judge called a “frivolous” and “time-barred” case on behalf of Ali Jones, better known as Ali of the St. Lunatics.

Ali filed the lawsuit in 2024, claiming Nelly cut his crew out of royalties and credits from the rapper’s legendary 2000 album Country Grammar — the record that catapulted Nelly to superstardom with hits like “Ride Wit Me,” “E.I.,” and “Hot in Herre.”

But the court wasn’t buying it. Judge Lehrburger stated that it should’ve been “patently obvious” to Ali’s legal team that the claim had expired years ago and had “no chance of success.”

Even after being warned, Ali’s attorneys “doubled down” with a revised complaint that removed key details showing the case was too old to pursue — something the judge called “bad faith.”

Nelly’s lawyer, Ken Freundlich, described the lawsuit as a “ridiculous, time-barred claim” that forced the rapper to waste time and money defending himself.

“This case sends a message to lawyers that there will be consequences for dragging a defendant into an action that is frivolous on its face,” Freundlich said in a statement.

While the court hasn’t set the exact repayment amount yet, the ruling makes it clear: Nelly is walking away vindicated — and his Country Grammar legacy remains untouched.

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