Why was Taylor Swift sued for her song ‘Shake It Off’? Eric Church reflects on unexpectedly being involved in the lawsuit

In a new interview with Rolling Stone published Friday, June 6, Eric Church revealed more about being involved in a lawsuit against pop star Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s 2014 mega-hit Shake It Off didn’t just dominate charts; it also landed her in a major legal battle for many years. In 2017, songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler filed a copyright lawsuit against Swift, claiming she copied the lyrics “players gonna play” and “haters gonna hate” from their 2001 track Playas Gon’ Play, originally performed by girl group 3LW.

Country star Eric Church's name also became involved in the legal battle.

Church said in the Rolling Stone interview that one of his tracks was part of Swift’s defense.

In her deposition, Swift reportedly said that the first time she heard the now-iconic phrase was in Church’s 2014 song The Outsiders, not in 3LW’s track.

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More about Eric Church's involvement in the lawsuit against Taylor Swift

For Eric Church, the fallout came out of nowhere. In his Rolling Stone interview, the Springsteen hitmaker said he was completely caught off guard when he received a subpoena, two weeks after Swift gave her deposition.

“She was saying she never heard it on the [3LW] song. And two weeks later, I got served by the people that were suing her!”

According to Church, the deposition quote made it sound like she attributed her knowledge of the phrase to him, putting him squarely in the path of the lawsuit.

Eric Church said that he reached out to Taylor Swift directly to talk about the issue.

“I was like, ‘Hey, thanks. Next time, let’s just skip that part?”

Church also added that the pop sensation was honest and apologetic in her reply, affirming that his song was where she picked the phrase from.

According to Eric Church, this was Taylor Swift's reply:

“I’m sorry. It’s the truth, though. That’s when I first heard that phrase.”

Church confirmed that the matter is now settled, but he still looks back at it in disbelief.

" How did this even happen?”

Taylor Swift’s case was officially dismissed before it could go to trial in December 2022, after years of delays and negotiations. Church, meanwhile, says his involvement was resolved separately.

The two artists never seemed to have a public fallout over the issue.

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More about Eric Church

Eric Church released his eighth studio album, Evangeline vs. the Machine, on May 2, 2025, and is preparing to promote it this fall with the Free the Machine tour.

He’s also teamed up with Morgan Wallen on the track Number 3 and Number 7, featured on Wallen’s I’m the Problem album.

In the same June 6, 2025, interview with Rolling Stone, Church also spoke about Bruce Springsteen’s political outspokenness, proving he’s still unafraid to talk candidly, even when it puts him in the middle of controversy.

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Taylor Swift gets her master recordings back

Taylor Swift, on the other hand, is celebrating a big win.

In May 2025, Swift officially regained ownership of the master recordings for her first six studio albums- Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014), and Reputation (2017).

Swift announced the news via an Instagram post on May 30, 2025.

This marks the conclusion of a multi-year battle that began when her former label, Big Machine Records, was sold to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in 2019.

The sale included the rights to her masters, prompting Swift to begin re-recording her discography.

Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed, but the acquisition reportedly includes rights to associated materials such as artwork and music videos.

Swift now retains full control over her entire music catalog, including her original recordings and the Taylor’s Version releases.