The lawsuit between Lady A (the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum) and Anita “Lady A” White over the usage of their joint name has been settled. Pitchfork has confirmed that the parties filed a combined request for dismissal with a judge in a federal Tennessee court yesterday (January 31). The settlement’s terms have not been made public. Pitchfork has reached out to Lady A and Anita “Lady A” White’s representatives for comment and more information.
In June 2020, the Nashville country band changed its name in the wake of the racial-justice reckonings surrounding George Floyd’s death.
Anita White, a Black blues performer from Seattle, had been performing under the name Lady A for decades before the band was announced.
In July 2020, Lady A filed a lawsuit against White, alleging that she had demanded the band for $10 million. White claimed that prior attempts at compromise had been rejected and that she intended to use the proceeds to help other Black musicians. Lady A’s attempts to claim the moniker for herself, according to White, briefly blocked her from uploading new work to streaming providers. In September of 2020, she filed her own countersuit, claiming unspecified damages for trademark infringement and unfair competition. At the end of the year, she unveiled a new song called “My Name Is All I Got.”
White discussed her year of wading her way through the name battle in a June 2021 interview with Rolling Stone.
