Overview
- A federal judge in Fort Pierce dismissed Kimberly Marasco’s case against Taylor Swift, Aaron Dessner, Republic Records and Universal Music Group and entered a dismissal with prejudice in an order issued on Monday, July 6, 2026.
- Judge Aileen M. Cannon wrote that Marasco’s poems consist of basic ideas, common metaphors and short phrases that copyright law does not protect, citing examples such as themes of gaslighting, desire as fire, and single words like “tears” and “running.”
- The court said Marasco failed to plausibly allege copying because she did not show both access by the defendants and the high level of substantial similarity the law requires for lyrics claims.
- The judge also criticized the second amended complaint as likely a shotgun pleading for lumping multiple songs and defendants together without specifying who did what, and she noted Marasco conceded her books were not being actively marketed and sold only modestly.
- The dismissal bars refiling the same claims in district court but can be appealed, which Marasco says she will do, and coverage has highlighted the decision’s timing days after Swift’s July 3 wedding and after an earlier related dismissal in September 2025.