Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” Copyright Lawsuit Moves Forward As Judge Rejects Dismissal Request

Miley Cyrus is still facing legal trouble over her hit song Flowers, and a judge just made it clear that the case isn’t going away anytime soon.

On March 18, a judge denied the singer’s request to dismiss a copyright lawsuit claiming Flowers is too similar to Bruno Mars’ 2013 ballad When I Was Your Man. The lawsuit, filed by Tempo Music Investments, argues that Flowers copies key elements of Bruno’s song, including its melody, harmony, and lyrics.

The legal dispute began in September 2023 when Tempo Music Investments, which acquired a share of the copyright from songwriter Philip Lawrence, accused Miley of unauthorized use of When I Was Your Man. The complaint also named Flowers co-writers Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack, as well as Sony Music Publishing and Apple, but interestingly, Bruno himself was not part of the lawsuit.

Miley, 32, has firmly denied the plagiarism claims. In November 2024, she filed to have the lawsuit thrown out, arguing that since Tempo only owns part of the song, they don’t have the exclusive rights needed to sue for copyright infringement. However, the judge didn’t agree, ruling that Miley and her legal team misunderstood how “exclusive rights” work under copyright law.

“Ownership of ‘exclusive rights’ is not to be conflated with ‘exclusive ownership’ of rights,” the judge stated in court documents. The ruling clarified that because Philip Lawrence had a co-ownership interest in the copyright and sold it to Tempo, the company now has the same legal rights he did — meaning they have the authority to sue.

Following the judge’s decision, Tempo’s attorney, Alex Weingarten, expressed confidence in their case. “Our client is looking forward to having this case proceed to be resolved on its merits and are extremely confident in prevailing,” he said in a statement.