Taylor Swift has been named in numerous lawsuits over the years, with various musicians and songwriters claiming the singer has copied their work in creating her own. But for the first time, Taylor has been accused of plagiarizing a book.
In 2019, Taylor released a short book titled Lover to accompany her album of the same name. Though it has been three years since the book hit shelves, a writer has come forward claiming the similarities between her book and Taylor’s are too hard to ignore.
Teresa La Dart has filed the lawsuit against Taylor. She released a poetry book with the same title Lover in 2010, almost a full decade between Taylor’s book became available.
But it’s not only the title of Taylor’s book that Teresa is taking issue with. She also claims the design of the book’s cover and preface is eerily similar to her own, from the pastel colors to the filtered photographs.
Moreover, the plaintiff argues that the idea behind Taylor’s book copies her poetry book. They’re both a "recollection of past years memorialized in a combination of written and pictorial components,” court documents reveal. Teresa is asking the court to award her $1 million in damages over the similarities.
So far, Taylor hasn’t commented on the new lawsuit. But she’s defended herself against plagiarism accusations in the past.
Taylor is currently battling it out with songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler. The pair claim that Taylor’s song “Shake It Off” borrows lyrics from their 2001 song “Playas Gon Play.”
The songwriters launched the lawsuit years ago, though it was initially dismissed. However, Sean and Nathan appealed the decision and are preparing to make their case in court once again.
Taylor was also sued over “Shake It Off” by R&B artist Jesse Graham, who attempted to collect damages from the singer over four times. He originally filed the case in 2015, arguing that her hit copied lyrics from his song “Haters Gone Hate,” which was released a year before “Shake It Off.” Jesse was seeking $42 million in damages.
The original case was dismissed but Jesse proceeded to appeal the decision multiple times. It was eventually dismissed with prejudice, meaning Jesse couldn’t try it in court again.
However, he found a loophole and was able to sue Taylor again through his company rather than personally himself. But the case was dismissed earlier this year, also with prejudice.