A federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled in favor of Mariah Carey, stating that she did not steal her popular song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” from other songwriters. Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani granted Carey’s request for summary judgment, resulting in a victory for Carey and her co-writer Walter Afanasieff without the need for a trial.
The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by songwriters Andy Stone (Vince Vance) and Troy Powers, alleged that Carey’s 1994 hit infringed on the copyright of their 1989 country song of the same title. Despite their claims, the judge ruled that the songs were not substantially similar and that Carey’s song utilized common Christmas themes in a different manner.
Following the ruling, the plaintiffs and their attorneys were ordered to pay part of the defendants’ attorney fees due to the frivolous nature of the suit and lack of evidentiary support for their claims.
Carey’s song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has continued to be a massive success, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for the past six consecutive years. Despite some disagreement over the songwriting credits between Carey and Afanasieff, the legal case briefly united them as allies.
