Woman accusing Ed Sheeran of ripping Let's Get It On collapses during trial

The woman accusing Ed Sheeran of ripping off Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' with 'Thinking Out Loud' has collapsed while at court.

Kathyrn Griffin Townsend - the daughter of songwriter Ed Townsend who worked on the 1973 hit - first sued Sheeran in 2017.

However, things took a dive in an unexpected direction when the plaintiff collapsed during proceedings on the second day of the copyright infringement trial in New York yesterday (26 April).

During the cross-examination of music expert Dr Alexander Stewart, who took to the stand to examine the two songs, Townsend is reported by People as needing to be helped out of the courtroom by several people, before collapsing after making it out the doors.

Alamy Stock Photo / Lev Radin

A medic was called to attend to the plaintiff who remained lying down and Townsend was later taken to hospital, Judge Louis L. Stanton told the rest of the court.

As reported by Metro, Townsend has a pre-existing medical condition according to her attorney Ben Crump. However, it's not been confirmed exactly why she collapsed.

Townsend's civil suit against Sheeran claims the 32-year-old English singer-songwriter ripped off Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' in his popular track,' Thinking Out Loud' - claiming the latter bears 'striking similarities' to the former.

Edna Leshowitz / Shutterstock

In light of the alleged copyright, Townsend is seeking damages from Sheeran, his label Warner Music Group and music publisher Sony Music Publishing, claiming she deserves a share of the profits Sheeran made from 'Thinking Out Loud' as Ed Townsend's only living heir.

Sheeran has denied the copyright claims against him, arguing on the stand many pop songs are 'built on building blocks' - share similar chord progressions - of other tunes.

The artist said: "You could go from 'Let it Be' to 'No Woman, No Cry' and switch back. If I had done what you're accusing me of doing, I'd be a quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that."

JUSTIN LANE / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock

The cross-examination of University of Vermont's professor of music Dr. Alexander Stewart was interrupted by Townsend's ill-health and so is set to resume again today (27 April).

Sheeran could also take to the stand again within the trial and the co-writer on 'Thinking Out Loud,' Amy Wadge, is also expected to testify.

If Sheeran is found guilty of copyright infringement by the jury, the trial will progress to a second stage which will determine how much he, and the labels involved, owe Townsend in damages.

LADbible has contacted Townsend's attorney, Ben Crump, for comment.

Topics: Ed Sheeran, Celebrity, Money, US News, Music, Health

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.