Missy Elliott Reaches Settlement in Long-Running Songwriting Dispute

After years of litigation, hip-hop icon Missy Elliott has reached a settlement with a music producer who claimed to have co-written songs from her early career.

On August 22, Missy Elliott and producer Terry Williams agreed to an undisclosed settlement just days before jury selection was scheduled to begin in Philadelphia, Billboard reported. The case stemmed from Williams’ allegations that he co-wrote several tracks during Elliott’s time with the girl group Sista in the 1990s.

Williams alleged that he wrote four songs for Sista’s 1994 project 4 All the Sistas Around Da World and accused Elliott of later reusing his work without giving him proper credit or royalties.

He also attempted to tie his claims to Aaliyah’s 1996 single “Heartbroken” but was unsuccessful, with allegations against Timbaland and multiple record labels dismissed in earlier proceedings.

Missy Elliott, in legal filings from 2023, denied Williams’ claims, stating she had independently written the lyrics and melodies for the disputed songs. “Elliott did not even know of or meet Williams until after the production on the Sista album … was completed and the album was publicly released in 1994,” the filing said.

Elliott’s attorneys also argued the claims were filed too late, noting Williams did not pursue legal action until 2018—more than 20 years after the songs were recorded. They added that the rapper had provided “compelling evidence” undermining his assertions of ownership.

Williams, who represented himself after losing legal counsel in 2019, pressed forward despite multiple setbacks. The settlement ends a protracted dispute that had threatened to go to trial more than two decades after the music’s release.

Neither Elliott nor Williams disclosed the terms of the agreement, leaving the final resolution confidential.