Small Victory for Milli Vanilli Fans

The New York Times

Chicago -- Aug. 30, 1991 -- The record company and distributor for the lip-synching duo Milli Vanilli have agreed to pay modest refunds to music buyers and concertgoers who thought they were hearing the real thing, a lawyer involved in the case said on Thursday.

Proof of ownership of the group's hit single, "Girl You Know It's True," entitles purchasers to a $1 refund. Album and cassette owners will get back $2, and compact disk buyers will get a $3 refund, said Thomas Tyrrell, a lawyer representing a CD buyer and a concertgoer involved in the class-action suit.

A ticket stub to one of the group's concerts or other proof of purchase will guarantee a $2.50 refund, according to the settlement between disgruntled Milli Vanilli fans and Arista Records and its United States distributor, Bertelsmann Music Group. The settlement was approved on Wednesday by Judge Thomas O'Brien of the Cook County Circuit Court.

Up to 10 million United States music buyers may be eligible under the settlement, which also allows them to keep their recordings, Mr. Tyrrell said. Another hearing for public comment will be held sometime in the next three months.

Rob Pilatus and Fav Morvan, young entertainers plucked from obscurity on the German music scene and told to mouth the words that others sang, were stripped of their Grammy Award for best new artists last November. The duo's admissions set off an uproar and led to demands that record companies and concert promoters disclose the sources of the music.