Drake had filed a defamation lawsuit against Kendrick Lamar‘s song, Not Like Us. However, his appeal has been pushed yet again. It is put on ice right now for the holidays. Lawyers from both sides have asked the Second Circuit to push back key deadlines. This is done so that attorneys can spend time with family and handle other high-profile work.
Drake’s Kendrick Lamar diss track lawsuit faces a delay
Under the court’s original expedited schedule, Drake‘s team was due to file its opening brief by December 22, with Universal Music Group answering by January 26, 2026. Now, the dates have altered. In the joint request filed the day before Thanksgiving, both sides asked to move those dates.
This will give Drake until January 21, 2026, for the opening brief. UMG will have until March 27, 2026, to respond. Drake will get a reply slot on April 17 if the schedule is approved.
The parties explained their reasons for the pause. The filing notes attorneys on both sides will be “traveling to see their families for the upcoming holidays.” It also stated that lead lawyers are tied up with other major matters.
For example, Drake’s lead counsel, Michael Gottlieb, is also working with Blake Lively in her case against Justin Baldoni. The filing also argues that the extra time will allow outside groups to weigh in. “This is a high-profile case bearing on issues of public interest such as artistic expression and the scope of defamation law for public figures,” the document, obtained by Complex, says.
The main issue stems from lyrics in Kendrick Lamar‘s Not Like Us that a federal judge said “explicitly accuse Drake of being a pedophile.” The case was dismissed in the Southern District of New York.
Ruling Judge Jeanette Vargas explained that “the forum here is a music recording, in particular a rap’ diss track,’ with accompanying video and album art. Diss tracks are much more akin to forums like YouTube and X, which encourage a freewheeling, anything-goes writing style, than journalistic reporting.” After this, Drake filed an appeal against the dismissal of the lawsuit.
Originally reported by Preksha Sharma on Mandatory.
