Aileen Cannon Asks Taylor Swift for Detailed Argument in Copyright Case

Judge Aileen Cannon is requiring Taylor Swift to respond to the woman suing her for copyright infringement by Thursday.

Kimberly Marasco is seeking more than $7 million in damages, arguing that Swift's songs and music videos have "creative elements" that copy Marasco's work without authorization or credit. Marasco's complaint mentions several songs and videos from Swift's albums Lover, Folklore, Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department.

Swift is being required to respond to Marasco's arguments on service of the lawsuit, "addressing each of the statutes in question in detail based on the record presented," on or by Thursday, according to a paperless order from Cannon.

Swift has not been served with the legal papers yet, despite several attempts by Marasco, according to a November 22 court filing.

Taylor Swift is being asked to respond to a copyright lawsuit presided over by Judge Aileen Cannon. Swift's lawyers have denied the claims and tried to get the case dismissed multiple times. zz/GWR/STAR MAX/IPx and U.S. Senate via AP

"Taylor Swift is constantly traveling and performing concerts for her Eras Tour," Marasco wrote in the document.

The last show of the Eras Tour is in Vancouver on Sunday.

Marasco asked the court not to dismiss the case. She also requested an extension to the deadline for serving Swift, which was originally November 19.

"A dismissal of the case at this stage would be unfair and waste judicial resources, especially since the plaintiff has made every effort to serve the defendant," the document said.

Marasco is also asking Cannon to allow "alternative methods" of service, including posting the summons on the court's website, publishing a notice in the newspaper, sending first-class or certified mail to the last-known address or delivering the summons to a business owned by the defendant.

Swift's legal team has denied the claims and attempted to dismiss the case multiple times.

The lawsuit was filed in small claims court in April and was moved to the Southern District of Florida the next month. Cannon was then assigned to the case.

Marasco was originally seeking $100 in damages and writer's attribution credit, but she amended the complaint in October.

This is not the first time Swift has been sued for copyright infringement. In 2022, Teresa La Dart claimed that Swift copied her "expressive designs and arrangements" in the Lover book. The case was later dropped by La Dart.

Another lawsuit involved copyright concerns over the lyrics of Swift's hit song "Shake It Off." The case was dismissed by a judge in 2022 after a multi-year dispute.

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