Mariah Carey Files for Legal Fee Refund in Disputed 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' Case

Mariah Carey is asking a federal court to refund more than $180,000 in legal fees after a copyright lawsuit over her holiday hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

The case was brought by singer-songwriter Vince Vance, who claimed Carey copied his 1989 song of the same name.

But in March, a judge dismissed the case, ruling that both songs only shared common "Christmas song clichés" and were not substantially similar, RollingStone said.

Now, Carey, along with co-writer Walter Afanasieff, Sony Music, and Kobalt, has filed a request to recover the money spent fighting the lawsuit. In the new filing, they say Vance's lawsuit was not only weak but also costly.

"The court should consider that [Vance] was seeking $20 million in damages and even asked for all copies of Carey's song to be destroyed," her attorneys said in a statement. "Given what was at stake, we were fully justified in spending these legal fees."

Court Criticizes Vance's Legal Team as Carey Seeks Legal Fee Refund

Carey's lawyers say they worked on the case for 295 hours, which led to a total cost of $185,602.30.

Carey is asking for $141,000 of that amount. Her co-writer Walter Afanasieff is seeking $7,000, Sony Music wants $32,000, and Kobalt is requesting $5,000.

During the case, the judge criticized Vance's legal team, calling their actions "egregious" and saying they caused "unnecessary delay and needlessly increase[d] the costs of litigation."

Because of this, the judge had already said Vance may have to pay the legal costs, but the court will make a final decision in the coming weeks.

This wasn't Vance's first attempt to sue Carey. He first filed the lawsuit in 2022, then dropped it, only to bring it back again. But the court still ruled in Carey's favor, saying Vance failed to prove that the two songs were similar enough to be considered copyright infringement.

Legal experts say Carey's team may be trying to send a message: don't file weak lawsuits against big artists unless you're ready to pay up.

According to DigitalMusic, a court hearing on the matter is now set for May 12. Vance and his legal team will have the chance to argue against the fee request.

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Mariah Carey, All I Want For Christmas Is You