The woman who accused Ed Sheeran of ripping off Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' and collapsed outside the courtroom is feeling better and 'hoping to come back to court,' sources told Insider
- A woman suing Ed Sheeran collapsed outside of a Manhattan courtroom Wednesday.
- Kathryn Griffin Townsend fell ill, collapsed, and was then taken to a hospital.
A woman suing Ed Sheeran in a copyright infringement case collapsed outside a lower Manhattan courtroom Wednesday, but is "feeling much better," sources told Insider Thursday.
Kathryn Griffin Townsend "is hoping to come back to court," one of the sources said. Both sources told Insider that she is dealing with an "ongoing health issue."
While speaking to Insider earlier Wednesday during a break in testimony, Griffin Townsend spoke in a firm voice, but was leaning on the arm of a woman companion during the conversation.
Griffin Townsend has accused Sheeran of ripping off Marvin Gaye's 1973 "Let's Get It On" in his 2014 hit, "Thinking Out Loud." Griffin Townsend is the daughter of Gaye's songwriting partner, Ed Townsend.
According to People, Griffin Townsend became sick and slumped over in her seat while Alexander Stewart, a professor of music at the University of Vermont, was on the stand examining the two songs.
Griffin Townsend was able to exit the courtroom with the help of her family and her lawyers, but once she was outside, she collapsed, People reported. She remained on the ground while someone called for a medic, and later the judge announced that Griffin Townsend had been taken to the hospital.
The New York Post reported that Griffin Townsend had fainted and was then taken out of the courthouse on a stretcher.
Representatives for Ben Crump, Griffin Townsend's lawyer, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for further information on what happened to Griffin Townsend on Wednesday. It is unclear what caused her to collapse.
Griffin Townsend alleges that Sheeran stole parts of her dad's hit song to use in his own music.
She, along with Ed Townsend's sister, Helen McDonald, and the estate of his late wife, Cherrigale, sued the "Shape of You" singer back in 2017. They are seeking an unspecified payout from Sheeran and an injunction barring him from performing "Thinking Out Loud."
Sheeran has asserted that the allegations are false and that "Thinking Out Loud" is a unique composition. He testified in court Wednesday that he had never heard "Let's Get It On" until he watched the 1999 movie "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me."