Mariah Carey has done it again, and this time it is not just on the charts. The pop icon just scored a major legal victory in the long-running lawsuit over her beloved holiday anthem “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and the ruling is as sweet as a candy cane in December.
In a case that had music fans scratching their heads, two songwriters, Andy Stone and Troy Powers of Vince Vance and The Valiants, accused Carey of copying their 1989 song with the same title. They demanded a massive $20 million, claiming her 1994 mega hit was not as original as the world believed. The lawsuit was dismissed earlier this year, but now the story has taken an even juicier turn.
The judge overseeing the case has ordered Stone and Powers’ lawyers to pay sanctions to Carey, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ. The total awarded to the singer is $92,303.20, and when combined with additional fees owed to other parties involved, the plaintiffs’ legal team is on the hook for nearly $110,000. In legal speak, that is the courtroom equivalent of being told to sit down and rethink your life choices.
The judge went even further, ruling that the lawsuit lacked merit and saying there was good reason to deter people from filing baseless claims. In other words, this was not just a loss for the plaintiffs. It was a full-on reality check.
Stone and Powers had argued that their song shared substantial similarities with Carey’s version, including the lyrics, melody, and overall holiday vibe. They also claimed that after their track charted on Billboard during the 1993 holiday season, Carey somehow swooped in and passed off their work as her own with what they called an incredulous origin story. That argument might have sounded dramatic, but the court was not buying it.
Carey released her version in 1994 as part of her holiday album "Merry Christmas," complete with a now-iconic music video and a melody that refuses to leave anyone’s brain once December hits. The lawsuit that was just dismissed was actually a refiled version of a 2022 case, making this legal saga feel almost as repetitive as hearing the song itself in every mall, coffee shop, and grocery store during the holidays.
Still, the courts have now twice made it clear. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” belongs to Mariah Carey, both legally and culturally. This courtroom victory could not have arrived at a better moment. Just one week earlier, Carey celebrated her 100th week at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. That historic milestone came from 19 of her songs reaching the top spot over the course of her legendary career.
Her very first chart topper, “Vision of Love,” did it back in 1990, setting the stage for decades of pop dominance. Since then, Carey has stacked up hits like “Emotions,’ “Hero,” “Always Be My Baby,” “We Belong Together,” “Touch My Body,” and of course her holiday juggernaut “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” That festive classic recently hit its 21st week at number one, a jaw-dropping achievement that only a handful of songs in history can match.
The song has also spent a total of 78 weeks on the Hot 100 chart, making it the longest charting title ever by a female artist. For a track that started life as a holiday novelty in 1994, that is nothing short of wild.
Streaming gave the song a whole new life in the modern era. It cracked the top 10 most-streamed songs in 2017, hit the top five in December 2018, and has returned to the charts every winter season since. Each year, it is like Mariah herself presses a giant glittery reset button on the music industry and reminds everyone who runs December.
The legal battle now feels like a footnote next to the song’s unstoppable cultural footprint. Millions of people sing it every year. Kids grow up with it. Adults measure their holiday season by how many times they hear it in a single day. It has become less of a song and more of a seasonal event.
With this latest ruling, Carey not only protects her creative legacy but also sends a clear message that her Christmas crown is not up for grabs. The Queen of Christmas remains firmly on her throne, jingling all the way to the bank and the charts, while her critics are left paying the tab.
And just like that, Mariah Carey proves once again that whether in the courtroom or on the radio, all she really wants for Christmas is a clean win.