Couple Denied Retrial in Lawsuit Over Hit Song ‘9 to 5’

A motion for a new trial on behalf of a Los Angeles songwriting couple, who lost a copyright-infringement case last month to entertainer Dolly Parton over her song, “9 to 5,” was denied on Monday.

U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. rejected the motion, filed on behalf of Neil and Jan Goldberg, ruling that the six-member jury had adequately deliberated before returning a verdict against the couple, who sued in 1983, contending that Parton’s 1981 hit song was copied from the couple’s 1976 tune, “Money World.” The attorney for the couple, Terry Steinhart, had argued that the jurors were “star-struck” because Parton and actress Jane Fonda testified during the trial and thus did not give adequate consideration to the couple’s legal arguments.