Chaos At Ed Sheeran Copyright Trial As Plaintiff Rushed To Hospital

Ed Sheeran’s copyright trial has taken a turn. The plaintiff, Kathryn Townsend Griffin, the daughter of Ed Griffin, co-writer of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, collapsed in the courtroom on Wednesday. Her father passed away in 2003.

As Digital Music News reports, Townsend Griffin had her eyes closed before her knees buckled and fell to the ground. Immediately, Sheeran’s and her legal team rushed to her aid. She was removed from the courtroom on a stretcher, with the court proceedings delayed by 15 minutes.

While no updates on her health have been revealed, Townsend Griffin's lawyer informed the court that she lives with a “pre-existing medical condition that she’s dealing with.”

The lawsuit was originally filed in 2017 by Townsend Griffin. Earlier this week, the trial began and saw the lawyers, plaintiff and defendant issue their opening statements. Townsend Griffin’s lawsuit alleges that Sheeran and his co-writer, Amy Wadge, allegedly ripped off an ascending chord rhythm, per The Guardian.

“Most pop songs can fit over most pop songs. I mash up songs at lots of gigs. Many songs have similar chords. You can go from Let It Be to No Woman No Cry and switch back,” Sheeran said after Townsend Griffin’s lawyer, Ben Crump, claimed that Sheeran playing a medley of Thinking Out Loud and Let’s Get It On was a “confession” of guilt.

Sheeran’s lawyer, Ilene S Farkas, argued that Townsend and Gaye can’t own “these common musical elements … No one owns basic musical building blocks,” with Sheeran earlier telling the court, “Quite frankly, if I had done what you’re accusing me of doing, I’d be a quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that.”

The case is expected to last another week.