Dolly Parton did not simply defend herself when two songwriters accused her of stealing "9 to 5." She walked into federal court with her guitar, performed from the witness stand and watched a jury demolish the case after only 35 minutes of deliberations.
The courtroom drama unfolded in Los Angeles in December 1985, when husband-and-wife songwriters Neil and Jan Goldberg claimed Parton's chart-topping anthem copied their 1976 composition, "Money World." They sought $1 million plus additional damages, placing both Parton's money and her carefully guarded reputation on the line.
The Goldbergs testified that they had sent albums containing "Money World" to Jane Fonda in 1978. Because Fonda's production company later made the hit movie 9 to 5, they argued that their music could have reached Parton before she wrote its unforgettable theme song.
Fonda denied ever passing the song to Parton. She testified that her policy was to discard unsolicited records and tapes, partly to avoid precisely this kind of legal nightmare. Parton was equally adamant that she had never heard "Money World" before creating "9 to 5."
Then Dolly turned the witness stand into her own private concert stage.
With a guitar in her hands, Parton sang "9 to 5" alongside several of her other working-woman compositions, including "Little at a Time" and "I Got Work to Do." Her performance was intended to demonstrate how the musical ideas and themes naturally developed throughout her own songwriting. Her jokes and spontaneous singing reportedly drew laughter from the packed courtroom.
The case contained another tantalizing twist: Parton had offered to settle before the jury returned its decision. The Goldbergs rejected the proposed settlement because they considered the amount "very, very small." That gamble did not pay off.
After a two-week trial, the jury began deliberating at 2:35 p.m. By 3:10 p.m., it had reached a verdict in Parton's favor. Jurors later said they were nearly unanimous from the beginning, with one declaring that the two songs simply did not sound alike.
Parton emerged from the courthouse relieved but clearly wounded by the accusation. She said she had spent her life trying to be an honest, decent and creative person and felt that the verdict had finally vindicated her reputation.
Neil Goldberg continued to insist that everything he and his wife had said was true, but their attorney confirmed that there would be no appeal. Dolly walked away with "9 to 5" still entirely her own-and one of the most spectacular courtroom victories in country-music history.
Only Dolly Parton could turn a million-dollar plagiarism trial into a live performance and have a jury deliver the final applause just 35 minutes later.
