Family of Isaac Hayes Sues ‘Racist’ Trump for MILLIONS Over Playing Hit Song: ‘Brazenly Engaged in Copyright Infringement’

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The family of late soul singer Isaac Hayes is suing former President Donald Trump for using the icon’s music at his rallies, Isaac Hayes III announced on Sunday.

A day after the later performer’s son accused Trump of “racism” and ripped him for playing his father’s hit song Hold On, I’m Coming last week at his rally in Atlanta, Hayes III shared excerpts of a lawsuit he had filed. The filing accused the former president and the Republican Nation Committee of “willfully and brazenly” engaging in 134 counts of copyright infringement.

A letter to Trump and his campaign from the Georgia-based law firm Walker & Associates reads:

Our firm has been retained by the family and Isaac Hayes Enterprises, who own the copyright to the musical composition and recording “Hold On (I’m Coming)” (the “Song”). It has come to our attention that you or the campaign have authorized the illegal public performance of the Song on multiple occasions during various rallies for your political campaign without authorization from the copyright holder, despite being asked repeatedly not to engage in such illegal use by our client.

Upon information and belief, you, your campaign, and/or the RNC and other parties have willfully and brazenly engaged in copyright infringement in violation of several provisions of Title 17 U.S.C., including § 501, of the Copyright Act of 1976, as amended, over one hundred times. We have attached for your convenience a non-exhaustive list attached hereto as Exhibit A. As we prepared this letter, there was an additional use in Montana just two nights ago, even with your office apparently aware that you had no permission. We and the family hereby demand that you cease the continual infringement of our copyright and stop all unauthorized use of the Song.

The suit further demands Trump pay $3 million, stop using the song, and to remove any campaign multimedia of the song being played at rallies. Hayes’ estate also demanded Trump issue a statement acknowledging he played the song without permission.

Saturday night, Hayes III tweeted , “Donald Trump represents the worst in integrity and class with his disrespect and sexual abuse of Women and racist rhetoric.”

The suit on behalf of Hayes’ family comes a day after pop singer Celine Dion ripped Trump for playing a video of her performing her 1997 hit My Heart Will Go On at a rally Friday in Montana.