A federal judge in the United States has thrown out a lawsuit alleging that pop sensation Taylor Swift plagiarized phrases from a Florida woman’s poems for over a dozen songs. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that the plaintiff, Kimberly Marasco, did not demonstrate that her poems were protectable expressions, nor did she prove that Swift had been exposed to the poems and that an average person would find Swift’s songs significantly similar.
Marasco, who represented herself in the case, expressed disagreement with the court’s decision and intends to file an appeal. Attorneys representing Swift, as well as other defendants including Republic Records and Universal Music Group, did not provide immediate comments on the ruling.
The allegations claimed that Swift, 36, had lifted content from Marasco’s poetry books for songs like “Down Bad” and “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart,” featured in Swift’s 2024 album “The Tortured Poets Department.” However, the judge stated that any similarities between Marasco’s poems and Swift’s songs were limited to unprotectable ideas, themes, metaphors, and isolated words.
Judge Cannon cited examples such as facing challenges, being “gaslighted,” and being “submerged” underwater to illustrate her decision. This dismissal follows an earlier rejection of Marasco’s lawsuit in September, with the judge pointing out that the new allegations failed to establish substantial similarities, as characterized by Marasco herself as “paraphrase,” “rephrase,” or copying with minor word substitutions.
The dismissal of the case with prejudice means that Marasco is not allowed to revise her complaint. The court’s decision was made in Fort Pierce, Florida, where Judge Cannon’s chambers are located.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, aged 36, tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan on July 3.
