Big Freedia Files Lawsuit Against Former Choreographer

Big Freedia has filed a lawsuit against her former choreographer, Wilbert Dejarnetti, The Washington Post reports. The lawsuit is said to counter a lawsuit originally filed by Dejarnetti, who claims that the bounce musician owes $500 a month for continuing to use his choreography. Dejarnetti also claims that he’s helped Freedia write several songs and demands to be credited as a co-author.

In response, Freedia denies both claims and has filed for the declared ownership of both the choreography and music for tracks the two have collaborated on from 2014 to 2017, including hit-songs “Explode” and “Dangerous.” According to the lawsuit, Freedia fired Dejarnetti in 2017 due to his frequently erratic behavior and temperamental nature causing turmoil and strife between the two.

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This isn’t the firs time an artist has been accused for “stealing” copyrighted dance moves. In 2011, Beyonce was accused of plagiarizing the choreography to “Countdown.”

During the dispute, Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker claimed that Bey had overtly copied her moves, though she refrained from addressing the issue in a court of law. “What’s rude about it is that they don’t even bother about hiding it” Keersmaeker said in a statement. “They seem to think they could do it because it’s a famous work.”