Kimberly Marasco, a relatively unknown poet from Fort Pierce, Florida, has made headlines by suing pop icon Taylor Swift. The lawsuit, filed in April, alleges that Swift plagiarized Marasco’s poetry in more than a dozen of her hit songs, prompting legal action that could now have serious financial and creative implications for the star.
Details about Kimberly Marasco, the Poet Suing Taylor Swift
Per her Amazon author profile, Kimberly Marasco is a poet and writer living with her two beagles, Cody and Roxy, and her partner, Todd. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and an MBA, as per her X (formerly Twitter) bio, and her writing career includes three published works. One of them, Swift Reflections: Poetry Inspirations, directly addresses her concerns about the similarities between her poems and Swift’s lyrics.
In that book, Marasco writes, “While most of her work is original and her own, I have found some songs clearly resembling other writers’ works, including some of my own” (via Style). She specifically names songs like “Getaway Car,” “My Tears Ricochet,” and “Right Where You Left Me” as closely mirroring her poetry.
Now, what began as a modest $100 small-claims filing in April escalated when the case shifted to federal court. Marasco’s amended lawsuit seeks over $7 million in damages, citing similarities in lyrics and themes from several songs across Taylor Swift’s albums Lover, Folklore, Midnights, and The Tortured Poets Department. Marasco also points to the choreography in Swift’s Eras Tour performance of “Vigilante S—” as being strikingly similar to a routine she created.
Although the complaint was filed months ago, it wasn’t until Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour wrapped up that Marasco could officially serve her. The Florida secretary of state was ultimately involved to ensure legal notice was delivered before a court-imposed deadline of December 20.
With Swift’s tour now over and the lawsuit officially served, the legal case will move forward. It remains to be seen how the court will respond to Marasco’s claims, but the case has already drawn attention.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on ComingSoon.
