Hard techno DJ Sara Landry has filed a trademark lawsuit against her former management company, accusing the firm of continuing to use her name and her Hekate Records intellectual property to promote itself and distribute music long after she cut ties with them. The complaint, filed through her company Landry IP LLC, targets Night Night Ltd., which operates as The Night Department, along with an affiliated company called Prepare to Flash.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, alleges the defendants continued using Landry’s intellectual property in music distribution and to promote their management business without authorization, according to Law Commentary. As Billboard reports, the new suit accuses The Night Department of trademark infringement for holding itself out as Landry’s representative even after the relationship ended, creating what the complaint describes as a false impression among music industry participants that the firm remained authorized to act for Landry and Hekate Records.
Landry signed with The Night Department in 2023, with Matthew Verovkins serving as her senior manager and Harry Glaisher overseeing her day-to-day affairs, per Billboard. She fired both men and the firm in 2025, telling Billboard the move came after she accused them of attempting to seize control of her music rights and of Hekate Records. Landry’s attorney, Nicholas Saady of Pryor Cashman, told Billboard that she spent years building her name, her label, and her career.
Dispute Over Ownership Terms
Landry alleges her former managers sought a 50 percent ownership interest in her music and 50 percent of Hekate Records without appropriate payment, the same report from the station notes. She moved to end the relationship in August 2025 after the dispute over ownership and control of her music and record label, the outlet reported. The Night Department has denied claims that it attempted to strip her music and label rights, according to Billboard.
Beyond the ownership fight, Landry accuses her former managers of mishandling touring operations through delays, poor communication, and inexperienced personnel, per the same account. She also alleges the firm’s handling of Hekate Records caused other artists on the label to complain to her directly, Billboard reported. Her attorneys said the defendants prioritized their own potential financial gain over Landry’s rights and wishes, according to Billboard.
A Transatlantic Legal Fight
This is not the first lawsuit between the two sides. The Night Department sued Landry in the United Kingdom in July, alleging she breached the management agreement by terminating the firm without proper grounds, the article notes. Landry has filed counterclaims in that U.K. litigation, which remains pending, according to Billboard. The Night Department and its attorney did not immediately return requests for comment on the new lawsuit, Billboard reported.
The newly filed Manhattan complaint accuses The Night Department of violating federal and state trademark laws and seeks to stop the unauthorized use of Landry’s marks while recovering all profits attributable to that use, per the same report. The lawsuit does not specify a damages figure, and the case is in its earliest stage, with the defendants not yet having filed a response, Law Commentary reported.
New Management, New Album
Landry has since signed with Alicia Karlin’s ASK Management & Advisory, Billboard reported, and Law Commentary notes her new structure also involves The Circuit Group. Landry, who helped popularize hard techno in the United States and performed on the Sahara Stage during day one of the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, told Billboard that ownership and artists’ rights are deeply important to her.
The legal battle arrives just as Landry prepares to release her sophomore studio album, according to EDM Identity, which reports the record, Divine Intervention, is due out October 16. Disputes like this one are a reminder of how fragile an artist’s hold on their own name can be: as Lexology notes, using a stage name or logo in commerce can establish common-law trademark rights, though federal registration through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office offers artists stronger legal protections.
