Flo Milli Wins Dismissal Of “Never Lose Me” Copyright Lawsuit

Flo Milli has won dismissal of a copyright lawsuit targeting her breakthrough hit “Never Lose Me” and seeking at least $1 million in damages.

Billboard reports Judge Andre Birotte Jr. rejected songwriter Shamar Deal’s infringement claim after finding that Deal did not own the beat at the center of the case. That ownership issue proved decisive because a plaintiff must hold copyright rights before pursuing an infringement claim.

Deal sued in June 2025 and named Flo Milli, Babyface Ray, 42 Dugg, producer Gerreaux Katana, Sony Music Entertainment and EMPIRE Distribution as defendants. His complaint said he bought an exclusive 10-year license to Katana’s beat “Youu” through the instrumental marketplace Traktrain in 2019.

The dispute began after Katana later licensed the beat for Babyface Ray and 42 Dugg’s 2023 song “Ron Artest.” Flo Milli then sampled “Ron Artest” for “Never Lose Me,” which led Deal to argue that both tracks infringed rights he believed came with his earlier license.

That path made the case unusually layered. Deal’s theory depended on rights he said began with his deal for “Youu,” continued through the use of that beat on “Ron Artest” and then reached Flo Milli through her sample.

The judge’s ownership finding stopped the claim at its first step. Without ownership of the underlying composition, Deal could not carry an infringement case through the later recordings.

Judge Birotte found that Deal’s agreement did not make him the copyright owner. The ruling cut off his infringement theory against the artists and companies he sued, even though the complaint described the original license as exclusive.

The case put one of Flo Milli’s biggest records under a legal cloud more than a year after it changed her career.

Released in late 2023, “Never Lose Me” became her first Billboard Hot 100 entry and eventually reached the Top 20. The song’s momentum carried into a remix featuring SZA and Cardi B and helped anchor her album Fine Ho, Stay.

For Flo Milli, the decision protects the record that moved her from a fast-rising rapper into a wider pop conversation.

The Mobile, Alabama, artist had already built a strong following through projects such as Ho, Why Is You Here? and You Still Here, Ho?, but “Never Lose Me” gave her a new level of radio, streaming and chart reach.

The dismissal leaves the song’s release history intact and ends Deal’s copyright claim against Flo Milli over the sample chain connecting “Youu,” “Ron Artest” and “Never Lose Me.”