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Join Telegram ChannelGloria Gaynor, best known for her disco anthem “I Will Survive,” is suing one of her former producers.
In court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Gaynor claims she is owed $2 million after her former producer, Joel Diamond, and the companies he controls “completely failed to meet their obligations to keep plaintiffs informed about how their work was being licensed and used, while wrongfully demanding economic benefits to which they were not entitled by exploiting that same relationship.”
According to the complaint filed in the Southern District of New York on July 26, Gaynor alleges that Diamond falsely claimed ownership of several of her songs, including “I've Been Watching You,” “You're All I Need to Get By” and “I Am What I Am.”
She alleges that Diamond also presented himself as a co-writer on at least one song.
Gloria Gaynor is suing her former producer, Joel Diamond, for $2 million, accusing him of “improperly obtaining economic advantages” through his work. (VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
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“At no time did Gaynor write a song with Diamond. To her knowledge, Diamond was never a songwriter,” the complaint states.
“Since the inception of the alleged recording agreement, despite Gaynor’s repeated requests for an accounting, Defendants have failed to pay royalties, provide transparency as to who Gaynor’s music was licensed to, or demonstrate that Gaynor’s music was protected. Payments were made to Defendants in varying amounts, but Defendants concealed and suppressed all payments to Gaynor.”
Joel Diamond told Fox News Digital in a statement: “The allegations are patently false. The written contract is very clear and has been in place for 40 years. Sony has acknowledged that I own 100% of the rights. Any statement to the contrary is defamatory and I intend to fully exercise my legal rights.” (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Diamond said: “I am in the process of retaining legal counsel. The allegations are patently false. The written contract is very clear and has been in effect for 40 years. Sony has acknowledged that I own 100% of the rights. Any statement to the contrary is defamatory and I intend to fully exercise my legal rights.”
“Payments were made to the defendants in varying amounts, but the defendants concealed and suppressed all payments to Gaynor.
Representatives for Gaynor did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Gaynor is a co-plaintiff with Robin Randall, a songwriter who alleges that Diamond “fraudulently claimed ownership of copyrighted works belonging to Robin and wrongfully and without authority entered into licensing agreements with her.”
Randall also claims that Diamond “improperly induced” his mother and songwriting collaborator, Judithe Randall, “to assign her ownership rights in numerous copyrighted works” while Judithe was “gravely ill and incapacitated” and later admitted to a psychiatric facility where she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Judithe Randall died in 2002.
“These allegations are patently false. Any statement to the contrary is defamatory and I intend to fully exercise my legal rights.”
Diamond and the companies he controls, Joel Diamond Entertainment, Silver Blue Productions and Ocean Blue Music, are all named as defendants in the suit, which also alleges breach of contract, copyright infringement and fraud.
Gaynor's complaint also alleges breach of contract, copyright infringement and fraud. (Bryan Bedder/Variety via Getty Images)
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Gaynor appeared on “The Masked Singer” in 2022, telling Fox News Digital at the time, “It was a lot of fun… the storyline of running around with the hoodie and the mask and the gloves.”
She also discussed her career-defining hit, “I Will Survive,” released nearly 50 years ago in 1978.
“It’s very encouraging for me to know that I could have [recorded] “A song that would last so long and mean so much to people, not just a song that they love but a song that helps them get through the tough times in their life,” Gaynor told Fox News Digital of her hit “I Will Survive.” (Michael Putland/Getty Images)
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“It’s very encouraging for me to know that I could have [recorded] “A song that would last so long and mean so much to people, not just a song that they love but a song that helps them get through the tough times in their life. It's incredible,” Gaynor said.