Drake’s defamation suit about Kendrick Lamar’s diss reaches verdict

Drake’s shocking lawsuit against his and Kendrick Lamar’s record label UMG claimed defamation, but now a judge has finally weighed in on the matter.

The First Person Shooter rapper claimed that the label was promoting the TV Off rapper’s scathing diss Not Like Us, which prompted the corporation to file a motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.

On October 9th, a federal New York City judge, Jeannette Vargas, announced that the suit was to be thrown out, with a statement explaining her reasoning.

“The fact that the Recording was made in the midst of a rap battle is essential to assessing its impact on a reasonable listener,” she wrote.

"Although the accusation that [Drake] is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about Drake," judge Jeannette added elsewhere.

In statements after the dismissal to People magazine, it appears that UMG’s representatives are satisfied with the decision while Drake’s team is not.

A representative for the 5-time Grammy winner revealed that they plan to appeal the ruling, and will still be fighting for the suit.

When did Drake sue UMG?

Drake initially sued UMG in January of 2025, for conspiring to inflate streaming figures of Not Like Us, before withdrawing it and filing another one for defamation.

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