Judge Denied Summary Judgment in Dancing With a Stranger Case
A federal judge ruled that a copyright lawsuit against pop stars Sam Smith and Normani will proceed to a jury trial.
Updated on Sept. 18, 2026 in Pop
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U.S. District Judge Wesley L. Hsu denied a motion for summary judgment in a copyright lawsuit filed against Sam Smith and Normani. The plaintiffs claim the defendants' track, 'Dancing With a Stranger,' copies their original 2015 song.
Why it matters
The ruling allows the case to move toward a jury trial after the judge determined he could not decide as a matter of law that no copyright infringement occurred. The court will now weigh competing expert musical analyses to determine if the works are strikingly similar.
The defense argues that the contested overlap consists of only four or five common musical elements. The case previously saw a 2023 dismissal reversed by the Ninth Circuit in 2025.
The players
Sam Smith
Sam Smith is a Grammy-winning British singer and songwriter known for chart-topping pop and soul hits.
Normani
Normani is an American singer and dancer who rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony.
Wesley L. Hsu
Wesley L. Hsu is a United States District Judge presiding over the proceedings in the federal court system.
Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper is an iconic American singer-songwriter noted for her extensive discography spanning several decades.
The details
Songwriters Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda, and Rosco Banlaoi sued the artists in 2022, though they have since abandoned claims that the defendants had direct access to their 2015 track. The defense also noted that Cyndi Lauper released a song with the same title in 1989, complicating the plaintiffs' copyright assertions.
Timeline
2015: Plaintiffs created the song Dancing With Strangers.
2022: Plaintiffs filed the copyright lawsuit.
2023: A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit.
2025: The Ninth Circuit reversed the 2023 dismissal.
September 11, 2026: Judge Hsu held a hearing regarding summary judgment.
Industry Dynamics
This case follows the precedent set by the Ninth Circuit's 2025 reversal of the 2023 dismissal. The ongoing litigation highlights the persistent complexity of copyright disputes in the pop music industry regarding melodic similarity.
The progress of this lawsuit will likely not change how listeners stream or access the music currently available on digital platforms. However, the outcome may set a precedent for future copyright litigation involving high-profile pop compositions.
The takeaway
This case serves as a reminder that copyright claims in music often hinge on narrow technical definitions of musical composition rather than just song titles. Listeners should note that similar titles alone do not constitute evidence of legal infringement in the music industry.
Further reading
For more background on the legal challenges facing artists, visit the Pop section.
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Should songwriters be allowed to copyright very short, commonplace musical sequences?
