Chlöe Bailey Sued for ‘Exploiting’ Songwriter’s Contributions in $15 Million Lawsuit

A singer-songwriter has sued Chlöe Bailey over claims that the R&B singer “exploited” him by failing to properly compensate and credit him for work he did on her most recent album, Trouble in Paradise. 

Melvin Moore, professionally known as 4Rest, claims that three of Bailey’s songs — “Favorite,” “Might as Well” and “Same Lingerie” — were works “derived from [Moore’s] intimate and real-life situations, reflecting his relationships, emotions, and personal struggles.” 

The artist who has worked with the likes of Chris Brown, Robin Thicke and Trey Songz, among others, claims that despite his “significant emotional and creative investment” in the songs, he was not properly credited or compensated. 

Instead, he alleges that Bailey and others “misappropriated [Moore’s] contributions to the Works, falsely registered the Works under their names, and exploited the Works for commercial gain across multiple revenue-generating commercially viewable platforms without authorization,” according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone.   

The 33-page lawsuit, which was filed in New York on Thursday, also names Columbia Records, Sony Music and Parkwood Entertainment as defendants. Moore is seeking $5 million in punitive damages per song and $150,000 per willful infringement. 

“My journey as a songwriter has been one of immense struggle and perseverance. I’ve faced homelessness for two years, only to achieve homeownership 17 years later. These experiences have shaped my resilience. But even after overcoming these obstacles and achieving success, I find myself still fighting for basic fairness in how I am compensated for my work,” Moore said in part in a statement to Rolling Stone. 

“Many songwriters, producers, and artists are routinely underpaid and mistreated, their talent exploited under the false promise of opportunity,” he added. “This cycle must end. It’s time for the industry to acknowledge the value of the creatives who bring the music to life and compensate them fairly. This fight is for all of us.”

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Representatives for Bailey and Columbia Records did not immediately reply to Rolling Stone’s for comment. 

Throughout his lawsuit and in exhibits filed as part of the case, Moore claims he tried to come to a solution with Bailey’s team privately, but was only met with “delays and avoidance.” The lawsuit claimed that Moore’s attorney sent a formal cease and desist letter, with a DMCA violation notice to Bailey in January. However, he claims Bailey continued to promote at least two songs on Instagram and TikTok. 

“This case is an undeniable example of the systemic exploitation songwriters face in the music industry,” says Tiffany Red, founder of The 100 Percenters, an advocate group for creatives in the music industry. “There are no songs without songwriters — yet time and again, their work is taken, recorded, and released without their consent, without contracts, and without compensation. This isn’t just about one lawsuit; it’s about an industry standard that the music industry has refused to evolve that is destroying the livelihood of many professional songwriters. We stand with 4Rest in his fight for justice, equity, and accountability.”

Speaking about Trouble in Paradise ahead of its release last August, Bailey said that much of the album was recorded in the Caribbean, saying the LP was inspired by Afrobeats and “island vibes.”