August 26, 2025
Missy Elliot and music producer Terry Williams have finally reached a settlement after a seven-year legal battle.
After years of legal battles, Missy Elliott has reached a settlement with a music producer who claimed to have co-written songs from her early girl group days.
On Aug. 22, Elliott reached an undisclosed settlement with music producer Terry Williams, just days before jury selection was set to begin for a Philadelphia trial, Billboard reported. The lawsuit stems from Williams’ claims that he co-wrote several songs during Elliott’s early years with the group Sista.
According to Williams, he wrote four tracks on Sista’s 1994 project 4 All the Sistas Around Da World and accuses Elliott of later releasing the material without giving him proper credit or compensation. After unsuccessful attempts to link his claims to Aaliyah’s 1996 single “Heartbroken” and having his allegations against Timbaland and several record labels dismissed, Williams was left to represent himself in 2019 when his lawyer withdrew from the case.
“As with many other lyrics, vocal arrangements and melodies Elliott created during this time, Elliott independently wrote the lyrics and melodies for the song ‘Heartbroken,’” a legal document Elliot filed in 2023 states.
Regarding the Sistas songs, “Elliott did not even know of or meet Williams until after the production on the Sista album entitled ‘4 All The Sistas Around Da World’ was completed and the album was publicly released in 1994,” the filing added.
Despite Williams’ legal setbacks, he remained steadfast with his lawsuit, which has now been resolved through a settlement that neither side has disclosed the details of. The settlement comes nearly two years after Elliott filed documents denying Williams’ claims, which she said were unsupported by evidence.
The “Work It” rapper also argued the claims came two decades too late, as he didn’t take legal action until 2018, more than 20 years after the disputed songs were written.
“In contrast to Williams’ unsupported claims”, the 2023 court filing states, “Elliott has produced admissible and compelling evidence that clearly establishes Williams’ lack of a valid ownership interest in the disputed musical works.”
Missy Elliott tried to have the lawsuit dismissed but was unsuccessful, though the dispute ultimately ended with a settlement.
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