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Billy Joel has been slapped with a lawsuit for copyright infringement but it has nothing to do with the legend's music.
The 70-year-old singer-songwriter is in a court battle with a contractor he hired last year to perform renovations to his Oyster Bay mansion on Long Island, N.Y.
According to a petition filed in federal court this week and obtained by Page Six, Berry Hill Development Corp., is suing the "Piano Man" singer for copyright infringement after Joel and the F. Scott LLC, which owns his properties, terminated the contractor and hired a new one to carry out the job instead.
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Berry Hill's owner, Paul Laruccia, claims in court documents that the new company's architectural designs are "nearly identical" to the ones his company previously drew up.
According to the documents, Joel is accused of "utilizing the works and plans owned by Berry Hill, without Berry Hill's approval, license or permission to do so."
Berry Hill's owner argued that the company had obtained copyright of the designs and has since sent a cease-and-desist letter as well as filed an additional lawsuit in Nassau County Supreme Court that have gone unanswered, the outlet said.
Laruccia's company allegedly began performing structural renovations to the home after the designs were made. The owner claims Joel still owes a balance for the construction work performed.
The singer's wife, Alexis Joel, is also named in the suit. The amount of damages Berry Hill Development Corp. is seeking have not been specified, the outlet said.
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However, a spokesperson for Joel told Fox News that the singer refuses to pay back a balance that is owed for the construction work because it featured errors that put the Joel family's safety at risk. Berry Hill's alleged deficiencies forced Joel to hire the new contractor and the costs to fix them now exceed the amount remaining on the contract with Berry Hill, according to the spokesperson.
Billy Joel denies any wrongdoing against a company suing him for copyright infringement. (AP)
"Billy and Alexis Joel will not stand by in the midst of such unjustifiable accusations that obscure the real issue which is the rightful termination of general contractor Berry Hill owned by Paul Laruccia," the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News.
It continues: "Berry Hill was terminated from the project because of significant structural defects that affect the safety of the residence and Berry Hill’s attempt to now collect payment for deficient work is outrageous. "
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Joel fans may know the Long Island mansion at the center of the suit is the same home that was burglarized late last year.
A robber allegedly broke into the home while Joel was away and vandalized 12 of his motorcycles.
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