Nelly's $78,000 Legal Bill Slammed as 'Billing Trickery' in Court Clash

Nelly's ongoing legal saga heated up as the $78,000 in attorney fees have come under newer scrutiny. A recent objection filed by Ali Jones, better known as Ali from the St. Lunatics, argues that the charges submitted by Nelly's attorney are excessive, unclear, and padded with tasks that should never have been billed at high partner rates.

Ali, who performed with Nelly in the early 2000s, previously sued the rapper for copyright infringement and unjust enrichment, claiming he was not properly credited or compensated for contributions to Nelly's landmark debut album Country Grammar.

Per Billboard, a federal judge dismissed the case, saying Ali waited too long to bring the claims. The outcome meant Nelly was entitled to attorney fees and asked for more than $78,000.

According to AllHipHop, the new objection focuses on the billing practices of Nelly's attorney, Kenneth D. Freundlich. The filing contests the fee application related to a previous order that granted Nelly reimbursement of his costs against attorney Precious Felder.

A judge ruled previously that Felder had filed unfounded claims and extended litigation with filings that weren't necessary.

Before one quoted passage, the filing describes the concerns in neutral terms. Freundlich's billing records were described as "vague, block-billed, redundant, excessive for the limited work performed, and replete with clerical tasks masked as legal work."

The objection indicated that invoices billed for premiums for tasks like reviewing emails and dockets. For example: An entry in the filing read, "reviewed court order," without an explanation of what the review entailed or the time it took to do so.

One of the entries that stood out in the filing had several tasks lumped together, such as drafting, research, filing, and internal meetings. This made it very difficult to determine exactly how much time was spent on each activity.

Ali's lawyers also objected to what they characterized as overstaffing. That would include reading his e-mail, or reviewing drafts, even though there was no discovery and few motions, and no hearings.

The objection further contended that the bills "reflect clerical tasks billed at attorney rates" and that the hours associated with the sanctions request were "excessive and disproportionate to the work performed."

Ali now asks the court to slash the fee request by at least half, saying any sanctions should cover only those costs directly related to Felder's misconduct—not unrelated attorney work.