Beyonce Knowles - Destiny's Child Stars Settle Copyright Case

Former DESTINY'S CHILD members BEYONCE, KELLY ROWLAND and MICHELLE WILLIAMS have settled a long running copyright dispute out of court.

The R&B trio came under fire from singer/songwriter Rickey Allen over allegations their 2004 song Cater 2 U was inspired by a track he had composed with the same title, which was copyrighted in the mid-1990s.

He claimed he handed over a version of his tune to producer Maurice Joshua, who allegedly went on to work with the Independent Women hitmakers in the studio. Joshua maintains he never held a copy of the song.

Allen filed suit against Destiny's Child for compensation in a Chicago, Illinois court in 2006 and the three stars were due to appear before a judge this week (10Dec09) to give their testimonies.

But Beyonce, Rowland and Williams, who went their separate ways in 2005, managed to avoid the court date after agreeing to a settlement behind closed doors.

Allen's attorney, Matthew Wildermuth, says, "I can confirm that yes, it (the case) did settle.

"All of the issues have been amicably resolved and the case is going to be dismissed. (Allen is) excited about being able to devote time to posturing his musical career."

The terms of the agreement have not been released. The case is expected to be dismissed by a judge on Thursday (10Dec09), when the singers were expected to take the stand.