LOS ANGELES — Robin Thicke’s attorney says the estate of Marvin Gaye exploited the singer’s “moment of personal vulnerability” in an attempt to prove that the hit “Blurred Lines” was a ripoff of a Gaye hit.
The estate sued Pharrell Williams and Thicke over the song last year.
In a deposition, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, Thicke says Pharrell Williams did much of the writing on the Grammy-nominated song and says, “I was just lucky enough to be there when he wrote it.”
Thicke also says he was high on a mix of prescription drugs and alcohol during the writing of the song and in interviews following its release.
Attorney Howard King said lawyers for the Gaye estate are just trying to prop up their lawsuit that says the 2013 international hit was stolen by writers, including Thicke and Williams, and that it ripped off “Got to Give It Up.”
“Robin’s moment of personal vulnerability is being exploited in the hope of diverting attention from the obvious weakness of their legal claim,” King said in an email Monday night.
The Gaye family said through an email from their attorney: “We did not inject Mr. Thicke’s issues into this case. Mr. Thicke and his counsel did so in the attempt to avoid his prior admissions regarding ‘Got to Give it Up.'”
– From news service reports
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