Mariah Carey is being sued for $20 million (£16 million) for copyright infringement over her hit song All I Want For Christmas Is You.
The singer and her co-writer Walter Afansieff are both named in the lawsuit, which is being brought by songwriter Andy Stone.
The song was released by Mariah in 1994 as part of her album Merry Christmas and has gone on to be recognised as one of the most well-known festive hits of all time.
In legal documents filed at the US District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, Stone claims that he co-wrote the song in 1989 and has never given permission for it to be used.
The documents, obtained by the PA news agency, state that Mariah and her collaborators “knowingly, willfully, and intentionally engaged in a campaign” to infringe Stone’s copyright for the song.
They added the defendants had also committed “acts of unjust enrichment by the unauthorised appropriation of plaintiff’s work and the goodwill associated therewith”.
Stone is seeking damages of 20 million dollars (£16 million).
All I Want For Christmas Is You peaked at number two in the UK singles chart upon its release, finally making it to the top spot 26 years later in 2020.
It’s now considered one of Mariah’s signature tracks, with the music legend marking the beginning of the festive season every year with an elaborate online video accompanied by the song’s signature intro.
She also released a “SuperFestive” remix of the track in 2011, featuring vocals from Justin Bieber, as part of the Canadian star’s festive collection Under The Mistletoe.