Carol Hinton claimed the rock band used her poem without permission.
A woman who brought suit against the rock group Fleetwood Mac for using the lyrics of her poem in the hit song ‘Sara’ has agreed to drop her complaint for an out-of-court settlement.
Carol Hinton sent the poem, written about her youngest child and titled ‘Sarah,’ to Warner Bros. Records Inc. in hopes of receiving rights and royalties if the poem were used in a song.
In her lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court 14 months ago, Mrs. Hinton claimed the group used portions of the poem without permission, and sought royalties from the record and acknowledgement as author of the song.
She dropped the suit last week, however, after agreeing to settle out of court for an undetermined sum that sources estimated at about $1,500.
Stephanie “Stevie” Nicks, Fleetwood Mac’s lead singer, said the similarity between the poem and the hit song was just a quirk — “karma.”
United Press International / July 22, 1981
