Update!

Robin Thicke Being Exploited by Marvin Gaye Family's Lawsuit? "We Didn't Inject His Issues Into the Case," Attorney Says

Lawyer for Gaye's children, who are suing Thicke for allegedly borrowing "Blurred Lines'" sound from their dad's music, speaks out after juicy deposition transcript goes public

By Natalie Finn Nov 01, 2014 1:00 AMTags
Robin ThickeEthan Miller/Getty Images

UPDATE: On Oct. 30, U.S. District Judge John Kronstadt denied Thicke and Pharrell's motion for a ruling that they did not substantially borrow from Gaye's song, instead ruling that the plaintiffs "have made a sufficient showing that elements of 'Blurred Lines' may be substantially similar to protected, original elements of 'Got to Give It Up.'" Kronstadt set a trial date of Feb. 10, 2015.

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Robin Thicke's camp claiming that Marvin Gaye's children are exploiting his personal life to distract from a weak lawsuit is absurd, according to the attorney representing the late soul legend's kids in a lawsuit against the "Blurred Lines" singer.

"We did not inject Mr. Thicke's issues into this case," the plaintiffs' attorney, Richard Busch, said in an exclusive statement to E! News, referring to the drug use and other dirty laundry Thicke himself admitted to in a deposition made public this week.

Busch continued: "Mr. Thicke and his counsel did so in the attempt to avoid his prior admissions regarding 'Got to Give it Up.' The Court ordered that the transcripts be made public.

"Not only does our brief set out in great detail the facts, law, and expert musical analysis supporting the claim of infringement of Marvin Gaye's 'Got to Give It Up' by 'Blurred Lines,' but we have also identified numerous statements by both Mr. Williams and Mr. Thicke outside of this case, and under oath in this case, which we believe cannot be reconciled and further support the Gayes' claims. Neither I, nor Nona, Frankie, or Marvin III have anything else to add at this time."

Gaye's grown children sued Thicke, Pharrell and producer Clifford Harris Jr. last fall, claiming that the 2013 mega-hit "Blurred Lines" borrowed way too much of its sound from Gaye's 1977 song "Got to Give It Up. Thicke had actually filed for an injunction against such a lawsuit in August 2013, but the family was able to proceed with litigation.

Per a transcript of the sworn deposition, Thicke said, "I was high on Vicodin and alcohol when I showed up at the studio. So my recollection when we made the song ['Blurred Lines'], I thought I wanted—I wanted to be more involved than I actually was by the time, nine months later, it became a huge hit and I wanted credit."

In response to the headlines his admissions made, Thicke's lawyer, Howard King, told E! News yesterday, "Robin's moment of personal vulnerability is being exploited in the hope of diverting attention from the obvious weakness of their legal claim."

—Reporting by Claudia Rosenbaum

(Originally published Sept. 16, 2014, at 1:02 p.m. PT)