Bad Bunny Prevails After Producer Fails to Pursue ‘Un Verano Sin Tí’ Copyright Claim
Bad Bunny has prevailed in a copyright lawsuit tied to the song “Enséñame a Bailar,” a track from his 2022 album Un Verano Sin Tí, after the producer who filed the case failed to continue pursuing the claim in court.
The lawsuit was originally filed in May 2025 by Nigerian producer Ezeani Chidera Godfrey, professionally known as Dera. He alleged that “Enséñame a Bailar” incorporated elements of “Empty My Pocket,” a 2019 track he produced for the Afropop artist Joeboy. According to the complaint, the Bad Bunny track allegedly included an uncleared sample or interpolation of the earlier recording.
However, the case came to an abrupt end this week when the federal judge overseeing the dispute dismissed the lawsuit after determining that the plaintiff had effectively abandoned the claim.
Judge Otis Wright II issued the dismissal after Godfrey missed a March 6 court filing deadline that was required in order to continue the case. Court records also showed that the producer failed to attend a discovery hearing scheduled for Feb. 5.
In his ruling, Wright wrote that the court concluded dismissal was warranted because the plaintiff had not continued to actively pursue the lawsuit. Allowing the case to linger without action, the judge said, would unfairly burden the defendants and run counter to the public interest. “The Court concludes that Godfrey has abandoned this case,” Wright wrote in the decision.
The procedural collapse of the lawsuit followed an earlier breakdown between Godfrey and his legal team. In January, his attorneys withdrew from the case, citing what they described as “irreparable differences” regarding litigation strategy. Without legal representation, Godfrey failed to meet several deadlines set by the court.
Another development further weakened the case before its dismissal. Godfrey’s record label, emPawa Africa, had originally joined the lawsuit as a co-plaintiff but was removed from the case after also failing to comply with court deadlines.
The dispute over “Enséñame a Bailar” first surfaced publicly in 2023 when Mr Eazi, founder of emPawa Africa, accused Bad Bunny’s team of using elements from “Empty My Pocket” without proper clearance. Mr Eazi alleged that the Latin track both sampled and interpolated material from the Afropop song and that efforts to secure credit for the original creators had been ignored.
Bad Bunny’s legal team disputed the claim, arguing that permission had been obtained through Lakizo Entertainment, which at one point distributed the earlier recording. According to the defense, the company had authorized use of the material.
Godfrey’s lawsuit challenged that explanation, asserting that Lakizo Entertainment did not have the authority to grant such clearance. The disagreement reflected a broader dispute over rights to the underlying recording, which reportedly also triggered a separate conflict between Lakizo and emPawa Africa. At one point, the disagreement led to “Empty My Pocket” temporarily disappearing from streaming platforms.
Neither Godfrey nor Bad Bunny’s legal representatives immediately commented following the court’s decision.
