The announcement of the lawsuit followed a social media post by Isaac Hayes III in which he accused Trump of racism and disrespect towards women.
He said: “With his disrespect and sexual abuse of women and his racist rhetoric, Donald Trump embodies the worst in integrity and class.”
Isaac Hayes III, Son of Isaac Hayes, announced the lawsuit on Sunday and stated: “We, the family of Isaac Hayes Enterprises, represented by Walker & Associates, are suing Donald Trump and his campaign for 134 counts of Copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of the song ‘Wait, I’m coming‘ at campaign events from 2022 to 2024.”
James Walker Jr., an attorney for the Hayes family, told the Daily Beast they would give Trump “five days to pay or we will take legal action.” He noted that Trump’s campaign has not responded despite numerous requests over the past two years. “The family keeps asking him not to play the music,” Walker Jr. said. “They don’t want people to think he’s supporting Trump. They’re against anyone stealing their music.”
The lawsuit demands that Trump stop using the song, remove all related videos, post a public disclaimer and pay $3 million in royalties by August 16, 2024. “Failure to comply will result in further legal action,” Isaac Hayes III added.
Walker Jr. highlighted the family’s concerns about the unauthorized use of the music, saying, “They care about the music being played in front of thousands of people… without any permission, he should pay this family a lot of money to play his music.” He also mentioned that if the Trump campaign does not comply, they will issue cease and desist letters on platforms like YouTube.
So far, the Trump team has not responded publicly to the lawsuit or to the Hayes family’s allegations.
