Bad Bunny has won a copyright lawsuit over his track Enséñame a Bailar after the plaintiff failed to meet key court deadlines.
The case, filed last May by Nigerian producer Dera (Ezeani Chidera Godfrey), claimed that the song contained an uncleared sample of a 2019 track he produced for Joeboy titled "Empty My Pocket."
On Monday, March 9, federal Judge Otis Wright dismissed the lawsuit after Godfrey missed the March 6 deadline to continue the case.
According to court documents, Godfrey also failed to attend a February 5 discovery hearing, prompting the judge to conclude that the plaintiff had abandoned the lawsuit.
"The Court concludes that Godfrey has abandoned this case, and that letting this action drag out any longer would prejudice defendants and would be against the public interest," Wright wrote.
According to RollingStone, the legal delays followed Godfrey parting ways with his lawyers in January due to "irreparable differences" over strategy.
His label, emPawa Africa, had already been dismissed from the suit for missing previous deadlines.
The Nigerian producer Dera claimed Bad Bunny's "Enséñame a Bailar" sampled and interpolated his 2019 track "Empty My Pocket" without proper permission. https://t.co/G6LFHcuZpf
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) March 10, 2026
Bad Bunny's Attorney Confirms Victory
Bad Bunny's attorney, Karen L. Stetson, told Billboard that the dismissal confirms the superstar had done nothing wrong.
"As we stated when the case was filed, my client bought the rights to use the music at issue and were never provided evidence of the plaintiffs' contrary claims of ownership,"
Stetson said, "When plaintiffs were forced to provide evidence in the lawsuit, they chose instead to abandon the case, resulting in the dismissal and final judgment in favor of defendants."
The dispute over "Enséñame a Bailar" began in 2023 when Dera and emPawa Africa accused Bad Bunny of sampling "Empty My Pocket" without permission.
They claimed the song "pervades the entirety" of Bad Bunny's track and alleged that the team ignored repeated requests to credit the original work.
Bad Bunny's team countered that the sample had been cleared through Lakizo Entertainment, though Dera disputed the authority of that label to authorize its use.
"Un Verano Sin Ti" has been a massive success, spending 13 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 and charting for over 150 weeks overall.
"Enséñame a Bailar" itself appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and amassed 72 million views on YouTube, making it one of the album's standout tracks.
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