Limp Bizkit sees small win in ongoing $200 million legal battle with UMG

Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit have secured a legal victory in their ongoing $200 million lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG). The lawsuit, originally filed in October 2024, accuses UMG of breach of contract, fraudulent concealment, copyright infringement, and more, citing discrepancies in royalty payments for roughly 45 million copies of the band's recorded works sold/streamed under Flip Records and Interscope/Geffen/A&M.

Durst alleged that UMG failed to pay recording royalties, claiming the label insisted that the band had not yet recouped their $43 million advance from their late '90s/early 2000s peak. Upon investigating in April 2024, Durst's team uncovered accounting irregularities, leading to a $1.03 million payment from UMG—funds that the label initially failed to notify the band about due to a supposed 'software error'. A separate $2.3 million was also released to Durst's past imprint label, Flawless Records.

The lawsuit further alleges profit-sharing collusion between UMG and Flip Records at Limp Bizkit's expense, while also accusing UMG of using intentionally flawed accounting software to systematically withhold royalties from artists. After UMG failed to meet a 30-day deadline to release missing payments and master recordings, Durst rescinded the band's contract in September 2024—declaring that any further distribution of Limp Bizkit's masters by UMG would be considered copyright infringement.

If upheld, the contract rescission would effectively return the rights to Limp Bizkit's master recordings back to the band and other respective parties. This means UMG would no longer have legal grounds to distribute or profit from the band's catalog, marking a significant shift in ownership.

The ongoing legal battle with Universal Music Group took another turn as a federal judge ruled on March 17th that Fred Durst's copyright infringement claims can move forward in federal court.

While UMG initially won a ruling in January that struck down Durst's attempt to void various recording contracts, this latest decision denied UMG's motion to dismiss the copyright claims. The court determined that a state court was the wrong venue for some of Durst's arguments, allowing them to proceed at the federal level.

Meanwhile, other claims—including allegations of fraudulent business practices—must be refiled in state court, which Durst's legal team has confirmed they plan to pursue.