Mariah Carey wins lawsuit against her for plagiarism of ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’

A judge has ruled that Mariah Carey, who was accused of plagiarizing her hit song “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” is not guilty of the crime.

Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani of the Los Angeles County District Court ruled that Mariah Carey did not steal the song, as the songwriters accused her of.

She made the announcement during a pre-trial conference held on March 19, 2025, which brought together lawyers for both sides, including Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, who co-wrote the song, and the singer’s attorney.

Judge Ramírez ruled that the case should not go to trial because the evidence against Mariah Carey was insufficient and that it was clear that she did not steal the song.

In 2023, songwriters Andy Stone and Troy Powers took Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, who is her songwriter, to court.

They accused them of not writing Mariah Carey’s 1994 song ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’, but of using lyrics from their 1989 song, which is also a trademark of the song.

The songwriters demanded that Mariah Carey pay them $20 million in damages.

Their lawsuit has now been dismissed, as Mariah Carey recently announced that the allegations against her are false and that she is ready to do everything she can to prove them.

The song ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ is the most popular of all Mariah Carey’s songs, and it is also the one that earns her the most money every year during the holiday season.

It is a song that is known for being unplayable for 11 months of the year, only to be popular again in the last month of the year, where it is among the most popular on platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify and others.

It is known for being used extensively in Christmas movies and Mariah Carey performs her annual Christmas concert dedicated to this song.