Insane Clown Posse Sued for Stealing a Poem From 'Chicken Soup for the Soul'

Violent J allegedly attempted to pass off "But You Didn't" as his own.

Insane Clown Posse performs in concert at The Pressroom
Getty

Insane Clown Posse performs in concert at The Pressroom

Insane Clown Posse performs in concert at The Pressroom

The Insane Clown Posse has had more than their share of legal struggles over the years. Most recently, they sued the FBI over the Bureau calling their fans a gang. But this week, they face an entirely different courtroom challenge.

Poet Stanley Gebhardt is suing the group because he claims they stole his 1993 poem "But You Didn't"—which appeared in A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Souland attempting to pass it off as their own work. 

How could this possibly happen? Buckle up. 

Back in 2007, ICP member Violent J posted a video to YouTube titled "Violent J's Poem" (which, to be fair, certainly sounds like he wanted people to think he wrote it). But it wasn't Violent J's poem. It was, almost word for word, "But You Didn't."

View this video on YouTube

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It took Gebhardt eight years to find out the video existed. But once he did, he got lawyered up. He's suing both Insane Clown Posse, L.L.C. and Violent J personally for damages, "all of Defendants' profits attributable to the infringements," the right to "prohibit[] any further copying, use or distribution" of his poem, and a partridge in a pear tree court costs.

You can read the entire lawsuit, which is full of cool turns of phrase like "Defendant Insane Clown Posse," here.

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