Zac Brown Slams Ex Kelly’s ‘Baseless’ Lawsuit Over Alleged Drug-Using Music Video Look-Alike
Zac Brown asked a judge to toss the lawsuit brought by his estranged wife, Kelly Yazdi, over claims he used a look-alike in his music video to portray her negatively, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Zac, 46, and his legal team called Kelly’s claims “baseless and premised on a false narrative.”
In her lawsuit, Kelly, 33, claimed Zac used footage of their actual wedding party, including one image of her, spliced with footage of a model who liked her in the music video the remix of Zac’s song “Beautiful Drug” featuring Avicii.
Kelly said the look-alike was seen as an “illegal drug-using, promiscuous reckless abuser of alcohol.”
Zac’s lawyer wrote, “The video footage of the model [Kelly] complains of was shot in 2018, years before [Zac] ever met [Kelly]. The footage was of a Canadian artist, Dani Doucette, and was shot by ZBB’s creative director, Tyler Lord, all of which is publicly demonstrated in a post Dani made of the footage in 2018.”
The lawyer added, “The decision to use this footage in the Music Video was made by ZBB’s creative director, Mr. Lord, who had full creative authority over the video, independently of [Zac]. The footage was not chosen to portray or mock [Kelly]—it had nothing to do with [Kelly].”
“[Kelly’s] contention that, without her knowledge or consent, the video uses footage from a party to celebrate her wedding with [Zac] is not only meritless—it is deceitful. It was [Kelly], in fact, who wanted to use footage from the wedding party in a new ZBB video and who, when given the opportunity to direct Mr. Lord’s work on the video, cast herself as the star of the video in late 2023.”
The response noted, “In furtherance of her plan to use the wedding party footage for a music video for the remix of ZBB’s song, “Beautiful Drug,” she pressed to have the guests at the party— which was a party at a bar, not an actual wedding—sign releases allowing the footage to be used in a video.”
His lawyer admitted the music video contained clips from the wedding party but said there is no image of Kelly.
His lawyer argued, “Indeed, there is no indication that the clips are from a wedding party. The footage depicts people dressed in 1970s attire dancing in a bar. There is nothing to suggest that it has anything to do with a wedding, let alone [Zac] and [Kelly’s] wedding. And the individuals who—unlike [Kelly]—are recognizable in the video consented to it. Moreover, even if [Kelly] were in the footage that was used in the video, which she is not, she would have no right to sue for the use of that footage under her [work] agreements with ZBC.”
A judge has yet to rule.
In her original lawsuit, Kelly’s lawyer said, “Based on information and belief, the model in the music video was selected based on her similar appearance to [Kelly]. Based on information and belief, the video was designed to paint [Kelly] in a false light.” Kelly claimed she never consented to her image being used in the video nor was she paid. Her legal team fired off a cease and desist demanding the video be taken down in February. She said Zac refused to comply with the request.
Her lawyer argued, “The implication that [Kelly] behaves promiscuously, recklessly, irresponsibly, unprofessionally, and uses illegal drugs would be highly offensive to a reasonable person. The music video has damaged [Kelly] by injuring her reputation and in other ways.”
Kelly and Zac met in Hawaii in December 2021.
They wed in August 2023. Zac filed for divorce in January.
He also demanded a temporary restraining order over a social media post Kelly made but his request was shut down.
He filed a separate case demanding she return confidential documents she obtained during her employment with him. Kelly denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
