A copyright infringement case against Taylor Swift might continue as the plaintiff said she served the singer with the lawsuit on Monday via Newsweek.
Kimberly Marasco, a Florida artist, has asked for more than $7 million in damages and alleged that Swift’s songs and music videos have “creative elements” that copy her work without authorization or credit. The lawsuit cites several songs and videos from Swift’s albums Lover, Folklore, Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department.
Swift’s attorneys had asked the judge presiding over the case, Judge Aileen Cannon, to dismiss the claims against the singer as Marasco had failed to serve the lawsuit in the eight months since it was filed.
Marasco filed an acknowledgment of service on Monday after she issued a summons in the care of Florida’s secretary of state. This comes after Cannon gave Marasco one last chance to serve Swift.
“Plaintiff is afforded one final opportunity to properly effectuate service of process on Defendant Taylor Swift and file proof thereof on the docket,” Cannon said in a paperless order on Friday.
The order gave Marasco until December 20 to serve the lawsuit and file proof. Cannon said she would dismiss the claims against Swift if the deadline were not met.
Marasco is representing herself in the case. Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, explained that it is not unusual for individuals representing themselves to experience difficulties with service.
“It’s sometimes hard for plaintiffs who are unrepresented to comply with procedural formalities,” Rahmani told Newsweek. “They don’t have access to process servers and investigators like lawyers do.”
He said that when an individual attempts to serve an entity, such as a corporation, the service is sometimes done through the secretary of state.
