Lead Belly's family trust sued his publishers in 2026 over 49 songs it took back by copyright termination

Huddie Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly, registered copyrights on his songs on 24 November 1936. After his death his widow, Martha Ledbetter, signed a 6 September 1950 agreement with Folkways Music Publishers for one third of certain royalties on "Goodnight Irene." The song became a number one hit for the Weavers in 1950^†. In 2013 and 2014 Queen Ollie Robinson of Brentwood, Tennessee, Martha's niece and administratrix of the estate, served termination notices under Section 304 of the Copyright Act. The complaint says the terminations took effect on 1 April 2015 and 1 August 2016. On 18 May 2026 Terika Dean, trustee of the Huddie Ledbetter Family Trust, sued The Richmond Organization and nine affiliated publishers in the US District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. The suit alleges the publishers kept exploiting the 49 songs after termination, charged inflated foreign collection fees, and paid only a fraction of the "Goodnight Irene" share. It says an audit found more than $289,000 in retained royalties. It seeks statutory damages for willful infringement and a jury trial. No response from the publishers was reported. Status in 2026: filed 18 May 2026 in the Middle District of Tennessee, pending.