Taylor Swift is in legal hot water again. Florida-based artist Kimberly Marasco filed another copyright infringement lawsuit, this time claiming Swift lifted creative ideas from her poems and artwork without credit. It is the second lawsuit Marasco has brought against Swift in two years.
The new filing, made in February, doesn’t just name Swift. It also includes her longtime collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, along with record giants Universal Music Group and Republic Records. Marasco insists they all helped use her original work without permission.
Marasco’s First Lawsuit
In 2024, Marasco first sued Taylor Swift and her production company. That case ended with Swift being dropped as a defendant, though her company remains tied to the claims. Now, Marasco is back with a sharper legal angle and a much bigger list of industry names.
Swift / IG / This time, Marasco is not just going after Swift. She is using other major celebrities as comparisons to argue that her work has been misrepresented or misused.
Although these stars are not being sued, their names pop up in exhibits filed with the court.
Swift’s Songs Are Under Fire
Marasco claims that songs from Swift’s albums “Lover,” “Folklore,” “Midnights,” and “The Tortured Poets Department” borrow from her poems. She points to tracks like "The Man," "Down Bad," "Illicit Affairs," and "Death by a Thousand Cuts" as containing language or ideas that reflect her own.
Jack Antonoff, Swift’s go-to collaborator, is named because he helped write “Down Bad” and “Illicit Affairs.” Aaron Dessner, who worked heavily on “Folklore,” is linked to “Hoax” and other tracks. Marasco says both producers shaped the music in ways that overlap with her earlier work.
Celebrity References Fuel the Argument
Beyoncé enters the picture through a comparison made by Swift’s legal team. They referenced “If I Were a Boy” to counter Marasco’s claims. But Marasco pushed back, saying her poem was set in an office, while Beyonce’s lyrics talk about gender roles in general life. She says the two have nothing in common.
Chaka Khan’s name also shows up. Her track “A Woman in a Man’s World” was compared to one of Marasco’s poems. Marasco disagreed, saying Khan’s song is clearly about the entertainment industry, while her own writing used a storm metaphor to show emotional chaos.
Lady Gaga, Kim K, and More!
Gaga / IG / Lady Gaga’s name surfaces through a visual reference. Marasco claims a promotional pose by Gaga looks almost identical to a drawing on one of her book covers.
Even Elton John is not spared. Legal comparisons were made between his song “Candle in the Wind” and Marasco’s work. She dismissed this quickly, saying his tribute song bears no emotional or creative similarity to anything she has written.
Then there is Kim Kardashian. She is not named in the suit, but she appears in a court exhibit that references Swift’s song “thanK you aIMee.” Fans believe the title subtly spells “KIM,” throwing shade at Kardashian. Marasco challenges that theory, saying the lyrics suggest the song is personal and likely not about Kim at all.
She says this shows her art has circulated through the music world even if it was not credited.
Even Elon Musk and Brad Paisley Get Pulled In
Elon Musk makes an unexpected cameo. Marasco wrote a poem titled Elon=MC2, calling him a genius. She believes Swift’s song “Mastermind,” which includes the lyric “To assess the equation of you,” copies her style of metaphor. She says the wording is “eerily close” to her own.
Brad Paisley also gets mentioned. Swift’s “Midnight Rain” is accused of sounding too much like Marasco’s poem “Delusional Reality.” Marasco argues that Paisley’s song “Perfect Storm,” used as a counterexample, doesn’t fit. She says his lyrics focus on love, while hers deal with inner turmoil and confusion.