Ed Sheeran Found Not Liable in Copyright Lawsuit: 'I Feel the Truth Was Heard and Believed' (Exclusive)

A jury has foundEd Sheerannot liable in a lawsuit filed against him foralleged copyright infringementover his 2014 single “Thinking Out Loud.” “I feel like the truth was heard and the truth was believed,” Sheeran, 32, told PEOPLE exclusively in the courthouse following the decision. “It’s nice that we can both move on with our lives now — it’s sad that it had to come to this.” After the verdict was read, the musician hugged his legal team and co-writer Amy Wadge, then approached plaintiff Kathryn Griffin Townsend and the two smiled and talked before exchanging hugs.

Ed Sheeran Goes Country as He Duets New Single 'Life Goes On' with Luke Combs at 2023 ACM Awards

Ed Sheeran and Luke Combs.Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images They may come from different genres, butEd SheeranandLuke Combssound pretty great together. Right after Combs, 33, performed the hit “Love You Anyway” from hisGettin' Oldalbum, the camera turned to Sheeran, 32, who played guitar and sang “Life Goes On,” which is featured on his new album-(pronounced “Subtract”). Midway through the acoustic rendition, Combs joined him to harmonize on the track. Check out PEOPLE’s full ACM Awards coverage to get the latest news on country’s big night.

Ed Sheeran Headed to Trial Over Claim That 'Thinking Out Loud' Copies Marvin Gaye Classic

Photo: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images; Jim Britt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images A judge in a Manhattan district court has rejectedEd Sheeran‘s request to dismiss a lawsuit claiming thatthe British singer plagiarized Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On”to write his 2014 hit, “Thinking Out Loud.” In a decision made public on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton announced that he will put the case between Sheeran and the estate of the song’s late cowriter, Ed Townsend, to a jury.

Ed Sheeran Hugs Plaintiff After Winning Copyright Trial: What Kathryn Griffin Townsend Said to Him in Court

After winning his copyright trial,Ed Sheeranis feeling confident about his original songwriting abilities. In an interview onThe Elvis Duran Morning Showon Friday, Sheeran detailed his interaction with plaintiff Kathryn Griffin Townsend, daughter of “Let’s Get It On” co-writer Ed Townsend, in the courtroom following the verdict. (Structured purchased a third of the shares of the song from the family of Townsend in 2018.) “The one thing that felt like the biggest win for me was afterwards, Kathryn, her family and everyone came up to me, hugged me and said, ‘We believe you,'” said the 32-year-old Grammy winner.

Ed Sheeran Is a Sea Captain, Office Worker and More in New Music Video with Travis Scott

Ed Sheeran‘s newest music video is full of costume changes, movie references — oh, andTravis Scott. On Friday, the 28-year-old singer and Scott dropped their music video for “Antisocial,” one of the tracks on Sheeran’s new album,No.6 Collaborations Project.The album, which was released on Friday, features Sheeran’s collaborations with artists like Scott,Justin Bieberand more. “Check out my video for the next single, ‘Antisocial’ with @travisscott, was so fun shooting this,” Sheeran wroteon Instagramon Friday.