Beyoncé's Lawyers Say Lemonade Didn't Steal From Film About 'Distressed' White Man

Matthew Fulks filed a lawsuit in June, accusing Beyoncé of copying a scene from his 2014 short Palinoia (video below). According to TMZ, on Friday Beyoncé’s lawyers filed papers that point out the thematic differences between the two projects and describe Lemonade as the story of “an African-American woman who progresses through stages of suspicion, denial, anger and, ultimately, reconciliation in her relationship.”

Beyoncé’s team refers to Palinoia, in contrast, as the tale of a “white man who is distressed in the wake of a failed relationship.” Beyoncé happens to be a frequent subject of plagiarism and was also accused of borrowing from artist Alexander Ekman for her Formation tour routine.