Mariah Carey Claims Victory with “Everything I Want for Christmas Is You”

Mariah Carey’s Lawsuit Cleared

Mariah Carey was cleared in a lawsuit regarding her festive classic from 1994, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

• Read more: Mariah Carey: “You know what? I love Christmas!”

Details of the Lawsuit

Country singer Andy Stone, performing as Vince Wans, initially filed a lawsuit against Carey in the federal court of Los Angeles in November 2023. He claimed that Carey’s song infringed on the copyright of his 1989 track and that the pop singer exploited his “popularity” and “style.”

“If you look at both songs, you will see that about 50 percent of the words are the same, almost in the same order. I think this is a rather strong statement,” said the plaintiff, Douglas M. Schmidt, earlier.

Judge Monica Ramirez Almadini determined that Stone’s lawyers did not “meet their burden” that the two songs were “essentially similar.” Stone sought at least $20 million (£16 million) in damages.

Almadini referenced expert testimonies that indicated the two songs merely shared certain “elements of the Christmas song,” commonly found in several earlier tracks (BBC).

The judge also mentioned that Stone and his legal team might face sanctions for submitting “frivolous” arguments, including “vague … and incomprehensible mixtures of actual statements and conclusions, subjective opinions and other inappropriate evidence.” They were ordered to cover Carey’s legal fees in this case.

In November, Almadini indicated that she was “inclined” to dismiss the case after Carey’s team requested a dismissal, stating that the claims did not meet “the court’s external similarity in protective expression.”

Mariah Carey’s Continued Success

In 2020, Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” reached number one on the British charts for the first time, 26 years after its original release.

This summer, Carey will perform at a major event at Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk alongside Eternal, as well as Neil Rodgers and Chic. The event is set for August 15, and tickets can be found here.

The hitmaker has also been recognized as one of the nominees for the 2025 class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, joining artists like Cyndi Lauper, The White Stripes, Billy Idol, Joe Cocker, New Order, Soundgarden, OutKast, and many more.