Earth, Wind & Fire co-founder Maurice White recently responded to a lawsuit filed by the children of the late Charles Stepney which accuses White of cheating Stepney's estate out of royalties. According to the initial lawsuit filed against White and Sony, Stepney's children maintain that he hasn't received royalties for almost forty years and that he and White had an oral agreement.

 

White in his response maintains that there was no oral agreement and that White was paid in full for his contributions to Earth, Wind & Fire's 1974 album, Open Your Eyes, 1975's That's The Way of the World, Gratitude, and 1976's Spirit. Spirit was released after Stepney's death on May 17th, 1976, from a heart attack.

 

White also maintains that Stepney's children, Eibur, Charlene, and Chante, have no standing to bring a suit.

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