The public has been informed about the continuing court battle between guitarist Mick Mars and his former Mötley Crüe bandmates by his attorney. According to Ed McPherson, who told Rolling Stone that the guitarist was the beneficiary of the January 16 verdict, the band was found to have delayed providing certain needed documentation.
“Finally, somebody, somewhere, told these guys they can’t bully Mick anymore. We’re in the middle of a huge arbitration that will ultimately decide if Mick has to give up his shares or not, if they did things properly or not. Obviously, we claim they didn’t do anything properly. But they feel that they’re above the rules. And that’s what this lawsuit was about.”
He added, “This was them feeling they were above the rules, and this judge saying, ‘No, you’re not. And you may have given all the documents now, so there’s nothing left for me to do, but you’re going to pay for it. I think that’s a pretty huge victory for Mick. If they want to claim a victory, that’s fine. But this is someone finally telling Mick, ‘No, you’re not crazy. These guys are bullying you. And we’re not going to let it happen.'”
The Band Also Claims Victory
There is still an unresolved dispute between Mars and Mötley Crüe. Mars’s claim that he was forcibly expelled from the band is the primary dispute that has not yet been resolved by a private arbitrator. However, the band is also happy that Judge Chalfant dismissed the former member’s additional legal files, deeming them superfluous in light of the court’s judgment.
The lawyer for Crüe revealed:
“The case is over. That’s the key takeaway. By denying the petition as moot and ending the case, the court found that the band turned over all the documents to Mars, and there is nothing more to do. The band went above and beyond its obligations by providing much more documents than the statute required – indeed, the court’s decision explained the thousands of documents that the band provided to Mars.”
The Details Of The Legal Battle
Due to health issues, Mick Mars canceled his 2022 Mötley Crüe tour. However, he later sued the band, alleging that other members attempted to have him removed as a significant shareholder in the company and commercial interests of the group after he made his statement.
The guitarist said he was coerced into signing a severance deal that would have reduced his 25% commercial interest in the band to 5% for the 2023 tour and 0% for any subsequent tours.
Mars claims that after that, the band’s management raised the offer to a 7.5% share in the 2023 tour, provided he gave up his business and musical ties. The band decided against filing a lawsuit in public and instead used arbitration due to the guitarist’s unwillingness to sign.