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John Legend Fires Back: "I Would Never Steal Anyone's Song"

Exclusive! "I know the truth is on my side," says soul singer of being hit with copyright lawsuit

By Brett Malec Jul 20, 2011 8:10 PMTags
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John Legend is not a thief.

The soul singer, who was hit with a copyright-infringement lawsuit by fellow musician Anthony Stokes earlier this month, is firing back at claims he's a song-stealer.

Take it away, John...

"This gentleman made an accusation that's not true and we know it's not true," Legend told us while promoting the launch of P&G and Communities in Schools' GIVE Education program.

The Grammy-winner denies he swiped Stokes' "Where Are You Now?" and used it as the basis for his 2006 song "Maxine's Interlude" off his album Once Again.

"I never heard of his song until he sued me," Legend says. "I would never steal anyone's song. I've never, ever done that before. Never even been accused of it before, and we will fight it in court and we will prevail. I'm not worried about it. I know the truth is on my side."

Let the lawyering begin!

Meanwhile, in far less serious news, we had to ask Legend about his and girlfriend Chrissy Teigen's new French bulldog puppy Pippa.

"She thought it was a good name for a cute little dog," he laughed. "She's a fan of Kate Middleton, too."

—Marc Malkin is on vacation.