Medley, Warnes Settle With Resort

LOS ANGELES (Soundtracks website) - Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes have settled a lawsuit against a resort that used a pair of singers in a commercial whose voices sound nearly identical to theirs.

Medley and Warnes sued Sandals Resorts International over the song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life,'' from the soundtrack to the 1987 movie "Dirty Dancing,'' which won the pair various awards and spent nine weeks on Billboard's Top 20 pop chart.

The terms of the settlement, which occurred last month in Los Angeles Superior Court, were not disclosed.
The duo alleged in their 1998 lawsuit that the success of their rendition of the song was influenced by the quality of their voices.

The singers hired to star in the commercial were coached "to imitate, as closely as possible, the sonic qualities of plaintiffs' voices,'' the lawsuit said.

Medley and Warnes claimed that using the singers unfairly capitalized on their success and gave the false impression that they endorsed Sandals.
Officials of the Jamaica-based company could not be reached for comment.