Lizzo files lawsuit to block co-writing credits on hit song "Truth Hurts"

Lizzo announced Wednesday that she's sharing writing credit on her hit song "Truth Hurts" with the creator behind the song's signature line. But she also fired back at two other writers who claim they also contributed to the track, and filed a lawsuit that aims to prevent them from obtaining credit.

"Truth Hurts" features the popular line, "I just took a DNA test, turns out I'm 100% that b**ch," which originated from a 2017 tweet by singer Mina Lioness. The tweet eventually became a popular meme.

The line was also used in Lizzo's song "Healthy," which she created in 2017 with songwriting brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen. The Raisens said they deserve writing credit on "Truth Hurts" as a result.

Lizzo wrote on social media Wednesday that Lioness "is the person I am sharing my success with ... not these men. Period."

Lizzo also fired back against the Raisens' claims in her Instagram post, writing that the duo "had nothing to do with the line or how I chose to sing it."

"The men who now claim a piece of 'Truth Hurts' did not help me write any part of the song," she wrote. "There was no one in the room when I wrote 'Truth Hurts' except me, Ricky Reed, and my tears. That song is my life, and its words are my truth."

Lizzo's lawyer Cynthia Arato announced Wednesday that a lawsuit has been filed to establish that the Raisens, as well as Justin "Yves" Rothman, are not entitled to any credit for the song. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California, notes the Raisens "expressly withdrew any claim to 'Truth Hurts,' in writing, in April of this year, and subsequently assured Lizzo, again in writing, that they were making no claims to the work."

In a statement, the Raisens said they are "beyond happy" that Lioness will receive writing credit. But they said they "find it unsettling that they believe our claim is 'unwarranted,' considering the receipts we have which include a musicology report for the song 'Healthy,' which predates 'Truth Hurts.'" 

The songwriters credited on "Truth Hurts," which is spending its seventh week at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, are Lizzo, Ricky Reed, Tele and Jesse Saint John.

"Truth Hurts" was originally released in September 2017. But the song got a boost this year after it was featured in the Netflix film "Someone Great." The film was released on April 19, the same day Lizzo dropped her album, "Cuz I Love You." The song wasn't originally featured on the 11-track "Cuz I Love You," but her record label added it to the deluxe version of the album, which was released on May 3.

"Truth Hurts" was submitted for the 2020 Grammys in categories including song and record of the year. Lizzo is currently selling t-shirts on her website that read "100% that bitch."

This isn't the only time Lizzo has faced controversy over song credits. After the Raisens made their claim, CeCe Peniston wrote on Instagram that Lizzo's "Juice" plagiarizes her classic '90s hit, "Finally," calling it "a clear example of #copyrightinfringement."

Lizzo's publisher, Warner Chappell, fired back against those claims in a statement, Variety reports. "There's no substantial similarity between 'Juice' and 'Finally,' and there's no valid claim there," Chappell wrote.