DETROIT — Funk legend George Clinton deceived keyboardist/songwriter Bernie Worrell and failed to share millions of dollars generated by dozens of their songs and seminal hits, according to a federal court lawsuit.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Detroit's federal court by Worrell's estate asks a federal judge to declare that the late keyboardist co-owned dozens of songs, including "Give Up the Funk," "Flash Light," and "Maggot Brain," recorded during a hall-of-fame career rooted in Detroit.
The lawsuit describes an alleged pattern of deceit, manipulation and bitter fallout from a pioneering musical relationship that once led to Clinton, Worrell and other members of Parliament-Funkadelic being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. The court filing also marks the latest legal challenge by Worrell's estate since the keyboardist and producer died in June 2016 following a cancer diagnosis. He was 72.
