CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — A doo-wop song extolling Lake County is at the center of two federal lawsuits, two federal appeals and one Lake Circuit Court case.

A federal jury in March ordered the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau to pay songwriter Cheryl Janky $100,000 for copyright infringement. The song, “Lake County, Indiana,” was used in promotional videos and was played as the bureau’s hold music on its telephones until 2003.

The bureau argued at trial that it had paid $16,000 for the song and had used it legally. Janky argued the bureau conspired to secretly pay another band member for the song by buying CDs at retail prices even though it intended to resell them at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond.

Both sides filed appeals and Janky’s lawyers filed a second federal lawsuit with new claims and a separate case still pending in Lake County court.

According to court records, the two sides negotiated a tentative settlement and the tourism bureau sent Janky’s lawyers a form to sign. Janky’s lawyers then sent back their own release form, which the bureau refused to sign.

Janky’s lawyers are now asking a judge to enforce the settlement, but tourism bureau attorney Daniel Kuzman said no settlement exists because negotiations appear to have failed.

Posted 2/20/2008