Isaac Hayes’ Family Threatens Trump With $3M Lawsuit
The family of the late Isaac Hayes wants nothing to do with Trump. The former US president played Hayes’s “Hold On, I’m Comin” during his campaign rallies and they’re willing to take legal action to get him to stop.
Hayes’ son, Isaac Hayes III, shared on X last Saturday, August 10, that he will sue the Republican candidate if he fails to comply by August 16. He wrote, “Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father’s music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist rhetoric.”
Hayes III added, “This behavior will no longer be tolerated, and we will take swift action to put an end to it.”
The family also wants to be paid $3 million for licensing fees due to the song’s repeated use from 2022 to 2024. The song has become somewhat of a campaign signature for Trump who would play it before and after his speeches.
According to USA Today, the family is considering filing 134 counts of copyright infringement based on the two-year period. Additionally, Hayes’ family is demanding that “Hold On, I’m Comin” be removed from Trump’s videos and that his party issue a public disclaimer by Friday. If he refuses, the family will take “further legal action.”
According to the Hayes’ family lawyer, James Walker Jr., Trump continued to “willfully and brazenly” use the song even after his clients repeatedly asked him not to.
Walker told Action News 5, “We’ve asked Donald Trump for a while to not use the music and he just continues to disrespect the family, the legacy of Isaac Hayes, the legacy of Isaac Hayes’ music and tends to just give the family the middle finger.”
He alleged that the song has been used so frequently that the $3 million being asked for is already “heavily discounted.”
Walker continued, “We’ve just decided enough is enough, we are going to give Donald Trump until Friday to do the right thing. Pay the family for the use and then stop the use of the song going forward,”
“Donald Trump, the RNC, the advertising companies, the venues, the lobbyist groups, the super PACs… All of them who are contributing to this. All of them will be held liable and accountable. Everyone will be held accountable,”the Hayes’ lawyer concluded.
If their claims remain unresolved, the family will charge Trump $150,000 in damages every time the song was used.
