LOS ANGELES — Portsmouth native and music producer Chad Hugo is suing his longtime creative partner Pharrell Williams, claiming Williams cheated him out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties and profits from their work as The Neptunes and N.E.R.D.
In a federal lawsuit filed this week, Hugo alleges Williams has systematically withheld financial records and revenue from their decades-long partnership, despite a 2014 agreement requiring monthly financial statements and equal profit sharing.
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The complaint claims Hugo is owed at least $325,000 from just one album alone, with potential damages exceeding $1 million.
Hugo says Williams has diverted money from deals with major brands like Adidas while refusing to provide basic accounting records since 2021.
Working together as The Neptunes, Williams and Hugo produced hits for Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z.
News 3 has reached out to Pharrell's team for comment and will update this story if/when we hear back.
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