Dolly Parton Offer to Settle Lawsuit on ‘9 to 5’ Is Rejected

Entertainer Dolly Parton acknowledged outside the courtroom Friday that she offered a songwriting couple from Los Angeles a cash settlement to drop their copyright-infringement lawsuit involving the singer’s hit song, “9 to 5.”

The 39-year-old Parton told reporters during a noontime recess of her trial in Los Angeles federal court that the out-of-court settlement was offered to Neil and Jan Goldberg “because we didn’t want the public embarrassment.”

“I’m very bothered by this . . . because I’ve worked all my life to be a fair, honest, decent, creative person,” the singer told a horde of reporters on the Federal Courthouse steps. “I didn’t need to have all of you (reporters) here.”

In her court testimony and elsewhere, Parton has steadfastly denied allegations that she copied the couple’s 1976 song, “Money World,” when she wrote the title song for the 1981 motion picture, “9 to 5,” which starred Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

‘Very, Very Small’

While attorneys for both sides declined to discuss the offered settlement, Jan Goldberg said it was rejected because the amount of money involved “was very, very small.” She declined to disclose the amount.

The couple is seeking $1 million and other unspecified damages in the trial before U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. The trial may conclude early next week.

The couple’s suit is not the first involving “9 to 5” to be filed against Parton.

The singer testified in court late Friday that a bluegrass artist from Nashville, Tenn., Benny Martin, sued her several years ago, alleging that her song infringed on a tune he wrote in 1954, “Me and My Fiddle.” Martin, who popularized the country-western instrumental, “Orange Blossom Special,” settled out of court for a small amount of money, she said.

‘Not Similar Enough’

“He signed a statement saying that the songs were similar, but not similar enough for a lawsuit,” Parton testified.

Her witty one-liners and singing elicited laughter from the crowded courtroom as she took the witness stand in her own defense Friday.

Parton, raised in the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, accompanied herself on the guitar as she sang several of her compositions--”Little at a Time,” “I Got Work to Do” and “9 to 5”--to illustrate the theme of working women in her songs.

Halfway through “9 to 5,” which the jury has heard numerous times during the two-week trial, Parton abruptly stopped.

Laughter in Court

“There’s more but they’re (jurors) sick of that,” she quipped, prompting laughter even from the judge, who is known for his strict observance of courtroom decorum.

At another point, Parton, who said she does not read music, testified that she didn’t know a “(musical) motif from molasses.”

She also repeated her denials that she copied “Money World.”

“I don’t steal. I wouldn’t do it,” she testified.

Outside court earlier, she described her reaction when she heard their song the first time, in 1983 during the taking of depositions: “It’s 11 minutes long. I don’t have time to stand around and listen to an 11-minute song. I could find better things (to do).”