Stone — who performs as Vince Vance of Vince Vance and the Valiants — submitted the civil complaint Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He is suing Carey, her co-writer Walter Afanasieff, and Sony Music Entertainment, claiming copyright infringement and unjust enrichment. Stone argues that Carey’s 1994 Christmas classic copies elements of a song he co-wrote in Nashville in 1989 that shares the same title.
This is not the first time Stone has taken legal action over the matter. He and co-writer Troy Powers, who is also involved in the current case, filed a similar lawsuit in Louisiana last June, though it was withdrawn several months later.
According to the newly filed complaint, Stone’s version of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” gained radio airplay in 1993 and charted on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks the following year — around the time Carey released her now-famous holiday track.
The lawsuit alleges that Carey borrowed the “compositional structure” of Stone’s song. However, the filing also acknowledges that Stone did not create the phrase “all I want for Christmas is you.”
Stone’s legal team contends that Carey and her collaborators likely had access to his song due to what they describe as its commercial and cultural reach at the time. The complaint further argues that the defendants either knew or should have known that using the title and elements of the song would require permission or songwriting credit, as is standard practice in the music industry.
The plaintiffs are requesting a jury trial and seeking $20 million in damages.
A representative for Carey did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Since appearing on her 1994 album Merry Christmas, Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has become a seasonal staple, earning annual radio play, topping the Billboard Hot 100, and achieving Diamond certification from the RIAA for surpassing 10 million copies sold — a distinction unmatched by any other Christmas song.
Meanwhile, Stone’s version remained on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart through 2000 and experienced renewed attention in 2020 when Kelly Clarkson recorded a cover, later featured on her 2021 holiday album When Christmas Comes Around…
