Bolton Seeks Appeal

Monday December 28, 1998 12:00 AM EST

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Michael Bolton has asked a federal appeals court in Pasadena, Calif., to overturn a $5.4 million judgment against him for plagiarizing an Isley Brothers song. The singer's attorney told the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Tuesday that neither his client nor Bolton's writing partner, Andy Goldmark, had heard of the Isley Brothers song before the lawsuit. In 1994 a Los Angeles jury decided Bolton had stolen elements of the 1966 song "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" for his 1991 hit of the same name. The jury awarded Ron and Marvin Isley 66% of all past and future royalties from the single and credited the song with 28% of the success of Bolton's album "Time, Love and Tenderness."