Limp Bizkit Files $200 Million Lawsuit for Alleged Unpaid Royalties

Limp Bizkit is suing Universal Music Group (UMG), alleging the label owes the band over $200 million.

The nu-metal band and its frontman, Fred Durst, filed the suit on Tuesday, Oct. 8 in Los Angeles. Durst’s attorneys claim that the band has “not seen a dime in royalties” in decades. The accused, UMG, have released Limp Bizkit’s first six albums between 1997 to 2011 through their sub-label, Interscope. In 2021, they released their comeback record through Suretone, a now-independent label once owned by UMG.

The complaint claims UMG implements a “fraudulent” policy “deliberately designed” to withhold royalties from artists, according to the lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE. “UMG’s creation of such a system, while holding itself out as a company that prides itself on investing in and protecting its artists, makes plaintiffs’ discovery of UMG’s scheme all the more appalling and unsettling,” the plantiffs claim in the complaint.

While the band has sold over 40 million records throughout their career, the complaint alleges that UMG wasn’t paying royalties because the band’s account was “unrecouped,” which means the royalties still don’t exceed the advances received to record and support the album.

The complaint alleges that upon contacting UMP, the label discovered over a million dollars in unpaid royalties — dating back to the height of the band’s fame in the late ’90s to early ’00s — and simply “failed to alert” Limp Bizkit, claiming the label “intentionally” concealed the true amount the rockers had made to “unfairly keep those profits for itself.”

The claim that the band still have not recouped their advances is being called into question, with the complaint alleging that “UMG should have started paying royalties on those albums right away — not over 20 years later.”

The complaint further goes on to suspect that “hundreds” of the label’s artists may be experiencing the same thing.

UMG’s accounting practices are pointed out in the suit, with attorneys claiming unknown charges such as an additional $199,676 appear on statements to “overdraft” the band’s account. UMG eventually released $1.03 million to the band and an additional $2.3 million to Durst’s Flawless Records, but the complaint alleges more money is owed.

From July to August, Limp Bizkit embarked on a North American tour with support from BONES, N8NOFACE, and Corey Feldman.