A lawsuit accusing pop superstar Taylor Swift of plagiarizing phrases from a Florida woman’s poems for more than a dozen songs was dismissed by a U.S. federal judge on Monday. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that the plaintiff, Kimberly Marasco, did not demonstrate that her poems were protectable expression or that Swift had access to them and that an average person would find her songs significantly similar.
Marasco, who represented herself, expressed disagreement with the decision and plans to appeal. Lawyers for Swift, Republic Records, and Universal Music Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit alleged that Swift, 36, had copied elements from Marasco’s poetry books for songs like “Down Bad” and “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” from Swift’s 2024 album “The Tortured Poets Department.” However, the judge stated that any similarities between Marasco’s poems and Swift’s songs were limited to unprotectable ideas, themes, metaphors, and isolated words.
Judge Cannon provided examples such as facing adversity, being “gaslighted,” and being “submerged” underwater. This dismissal followed a previous rejection of Marasco’s lawsuit in September, with the judge noting that the alleged copying was characterized as paraphrasing, rephrasing, and minor word substitutions, which did not constitute substantial similarity.
The dismissal was made with prejudice, preventing Marasco from revising her complaint. Swift married Travis Kelce, also 36, a prominent football player, at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan on July 3.