Christian Songwriter Furious at Studio

WEST PALM BEACH (CN) - A Christian songwriter says Blessing Recording Studios put "odious" and "extremely offensive" titles on his songs, "depicting, among other things, homosexual rape," and published his CD before he could stop it, defaming him and ruining an album he paid thousands of dollars to record.

Jose Principe sued Tabernáculo Internacional and Luis Aviles dba Blessing Recording Studios, in Palm Beach County Court.

Principe says he paid the defendants $5,500 to record, produce and make the master copy of the songs he wrote and performed.

But to his horror, he says, the CDs, which "contained numerous photographs of plaintiff," and upon which he was listed as the artist and executive producer, "contained false and extremely offensive material. Specifically, the song titles recorded on the compact discs in question contained lewd imagery depicting, among other things, homosexual rape."

Principe recorded his songs in Spanish, with Spanish titles. But someone at the studio changed them, he says. The false titles included "Me Rescaron Las Bolas" [sic: recte, Rascaron] ("They Scratched My Balls"); "Por Que Tenía El Bicho Pelu" ("Because I Had a Hairy Cock"); "Pero Lo Tengo Chiquito" ("But It's a Small One"); "En El Piso Me Clavaron" ("They Nailed Me to the Floor"); and "Dolía Pero Me Gustó" ("It Hurt But I Liked It").

Principe, who says he "was and still is a Christian musician," says the defendants defamed him, breached contract, negligently supervised whoever changed the song titles, and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.

"Prior to plaintiff's discovery of the false and extremely offensive material contained within the aforementioned defective compact discs, said discs were distributed to other persons, including but not limited to plaintiff's friends, family, professional colleagues, current and potential business partners, as well as other members of the relevant business community," the complaint states.

Principe told Courthouse News Service that the title switch was probably a practical joke and that whoever changed the titles had access to the album while it was being mastered at the recording studio.

Principe is represented by Nicholas DeRenzo of Orlando.

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