Dance music artist Sara Landry has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in the United States against her former management company, The Night Department (TND), alleging it continued using her name and logo without authorization after she terminated the firm. The case, filed Tuesday (Oct. 6) in Manhattan federal court, adds another claim to an existing legal dispute over her exit from TND.
The lawsuit claims TND’s Matthew Verovkins and Harry Glaisher tried to seize control of Landry’s music rights and her label, Hekate Records, before she fired the firm last year. Landry’s attorneys wrote that the defendants “prioritized their own potential financial gain over the rights and wishes of Landry, betraying the artist that TND was obliged to serve at that time.”
“After TND’s termination, defendants have continued to prioritize their own potential financial gain by infringing plaintiff’s trademarks,” the filing states.
Prior United Kingdom litigation#
The new case comes two months after TND first sued Landry in a United Kingdom court, alleging she breached her contract by terminating the firm in August 2025. TND said it was transparent about her ownership rights and did nothing to justify the firing. Landry filed counterclaims placing blame on the firm, and that litigation remains pending.
TND and its attorney did not immediately return requests for comment on the new lawsuit on Tuesday.
In a statement, Landry said: “Ownership and artists’ rights are deeply important to me, and I look forward to continuing to advocate for artists to have control over their work and their careers.”
Her attorney, Nicholas Saady of Pryor Cashman, said Landry had “spent years building her name, her label, and her career into something unmistakably her own.” Saady added: “They mean everything to her and to her fans. Sara will protect them, without compromise.”
Management deal and split#
Landry, a hard techno DJ who has helped popularize the genre in the U.S., signed a management deal with TND in 2023. Verovkins served as senior manager and Glaisher as day-to-day manager. The relationship ended last summer, and Landry later signed with Alicia Karlin’s ASK Management & Advisory.
The United Kingdom lawsuit, filed in July, will decide the fate of that split. Court filings show Landry accused the firm of numerous breaches before terminating the deal, including having “attempted to strip [Landry] of her rights to her own music as well as her ownership and control of Hekate Records.” TND denied those claims, arguing that such terms were transparently laid out in contracts and that Landry breached the deal by walking away.
Trademark claims and alleged mismanagement#
The new case, filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, largely concerns what happened after the split. It accuses TND of trademark infringement by continuing to hold themselves out as her representatives: “Defendants used the [trademarks] to create the false impression to music-industry participants and other consumers that they were authorized to act on behalf of Hekate Records and Landry.”
The lawsuit also revisits the core dispute over the split. Landry claims TND sought to control her rights and profit beyond what was agreed.
“Before TND’s termination, defendants also sought to take rights to Landry’s music and Landry’s record label,” her attorneys wrote. “Defendants sought to seize 50% ownership of Landry’s music and 50% ownership of Hekate Records, without appropriate payment to Landry and in defiance of Landry’s clear statements that she wanted to own her music and own her label.”
Landry also alleges that her managers:
- Impaired her career by failing to properly manage touring operations, including “delays, unresponsiveness, and inexperienced personnel.”
- Botched the management of Hekate Records, causing other artists to complain to her.
In legal terms, the lawsuit accuses TND of violating federal and state trademark laws by using her trademarked name and logo without permission. It does not specify damages but seeks all “profits attributable to their unauthorized use of the marks.”
