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| On top of the $25m, the band also wants unspecified punitive damages |
The Beatles are to sue music companies EMI and Capitol for millions of pounds in royalties.
Lawyers for Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, the estate of the late George Harrison and the Beatles' company Apple Corps want at least $25 million (�13.1m) in damages for fraud and breach of contract.
They are also seeking to reclaim rights to all the Beatles' master recordings.
Last week a New York judge, Justice Karla Moskowitz, denied EMI's request for the claim to be thrown out.
The lawsuit, filed in December, claims EMI and affiliate Capitol wrongly classified copies of Beatles recordings as destroyed or damaged "scrap" but then secretly sold them.
It also alleges that the number of units sold was under-reported, and that the firms classified some recordings as "promotional" and therefore non-royalty bearing, but then sold the material.
On top of the $25 million, the band also wants unspecified punitive damages to be decided at trial.
The dispute between the Beatles and EMI and Capitol dates back to 1979, when the band alleged they had been underpaid by more than $20 million (�10.5m).
That case was settled ten years later, with the band and Apple getting increased royalty rates.
