A New Jersey appeals court in the United States has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against Bruce Springsteen over the use of a vintage car on the cover of his 2022 album Only the Strong Survive.
The ruling, issued Tuesday, Sept. 15, affirms an earlier decision that ended litigation brought by the family of Louis Billotti, a late classic car collector whose 1967 Pontiac GTO appeared in the album artwork. The case also named Sony Music, owner of Springsteen’s label Columbia Records, and his longtime manager Jon Landau.
Background of the dispute#
In 2021, Billotti was paid $1,200 for Springsteen to pose with the GTO during two photoshoots at the singer’s New Jersey home. One of those photos became the cover of Only the Strong Survive, a collection of R&B and soul covers that debuted at No. 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart in 2022.
Billotti died shortly before the album’s release. His son filed a lawsuit in 2023 alleging that Springsteen had orally promised to pay his father additional money if the car photos were used on an album cover. Springsteen denied making any such promise, and a trial court judge dismissed the case last year for insufficient evidence. Billotti’s estate appealed.
Appeals court decision#
The New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division ruled Tuesday that the dismissal was correct. The appeals panel said no witness or document supported the younger Billotti’s account of a conversation relayed by his late father, a situation known as double hearsay, which must meet a high evidentiary bar to be admissible.
Multiple witnesses testified that Billotti never expected additional payment from Springsteen. One longtime friend wrote in a sworn affidavit that Billotti “was a simple guy and just really enjoyed the experience he had with Bruce Springsteen and was looking forward to seeing his car on his album cover.” The appeals court said such statements “cast considerable doubt upon the probative value of plaintiff’s contentions.”
“Given the circumstances and the paucity of plaintiff’s evidence, the trial court had a sound basis to grant summary judgment. Whatever aspirations decedent may have had to be paid more money than the agreed-upon sums, the alleged promises were insufficiently evidenced and legally untenable.”
An attorney for Billotti’s son declined to comment on the ruling. Representatives for Springsteen and Sony did not immediately return requests for comment.
