Ed Sheeran plagiarism accuser collapses in court

Singer is in court over his 2014 track ‘Thinking Out Loud’

Kathryn Townsend Griffin, the woman currently suing Ed Sheeran for plaigiarism, had to be carried out of court on Wednesday (26 April) after suddenly collapsing.

Sheeran was present in the Manhattan court to challenge allegations he had plagiarised Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” in his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud”.

Griffin is the daughter of songwriter Ed Townsend, who co-wrote Gaye’s 1973 soul hit.

According to CNN, when Sheeran’s lawyers began a cross-examination of a music expert, Griffin fainted.

She was reportedly lifted up by others present at the trial, and given medical assistance before being removed from the room in a stretcher.

The incident is reported to have caused a delay of just seven minutes, with procedings resuming after she was taken from court.

Her lawyer later disclosed that Griffin suffers from a “pre-existing medical condition that she’s dealing with”.

On Wednesday, the trial saw attendees burst into laughter after hearing an AI-generated version of “Let’s Get it On”.

Ed Sheeran leaves court after testifying on 25 April (AFP via Getty Images)

Musicologist Dr Alexander Stewart was showcasing the track in an effort to showcase the alleged similarities between Gaye’s hit and “Thinking Out Loud”.

On Tuesday (25 April), the plaintiff’s lawyer, Ben Crump, presented a video from one of Sheeran’s past live performances in which he “mashes up” his track with “Let’s Get it On”.

The attorney described the video, which can be viewed on YouTube, as a “smoking gun”.

“That concert video is a confession,” said Crump.

Sheeran’s lawyer Ilene S Farkas countered by arguing that the video does not prove copyright infringement took place, highlighting the fact that Sheeran frequently performs mash-ups during gigs.

The trial is expected to last for up to two weeks.

In April 2022, Sheeran won a separate copyright lawsuit, in which he had been accused of plagiarising his song “Shape of You” from Sami Chokri’s 2015 song “Oh Why”.