American rock band The Black Crowes and their founder, Chris Robinson, were sued by their original drummer for unpaid royalties. Steve Gorman was a founding member of the band and performed with them through their heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, before leaving the band in 2001. They reunited for another 10 years in 2005. During his time with the band, they released more than a dozen albums and many successful singles. In 2022, Gorman filed a lawsuit, saying he had been attempting to review the accounting and confirm the accuracy of his royalty payments for years but that the band hadn't cooperated.

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The Black Crowes -

"I regret that it has come to this, as I remain incredibly proud of the music we created as a band, but their conduct has left me with no choice but to ask a court to order them to give me this information, which I'm entitled to under our partnership agreement and the law," he said in a statement. Gorman didn't sue for a particular amount as he had no idea how much money he might be owed. He said he simply wanted to receive the royalties he was due under their agreement. They reached a settlement in October 2022.

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The Pussycat Dolls -

Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin filed a lawsuit against Nicole Scherzinger claiming that Scherzinger refused to participate in the group's previously agreed upon reunion tour. Scherzinger's lawyer said that Antin's claims are "ludicrous and false."

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The Pussycat Dolls - Antin's lawsuit states that LiveNation is asking for the US$600,000 it invested in the tour be returned, but Scherzinger's attorney said, "Prior to Nicole's involvement, trading on Nicole's name without her consent, Robin borrowed (and spent) $600,000 from Live Nation that she won't or can't repay," adding that Scherzinger is not responsible to pay that money back. "Robin will fail in her efforts to trade on Nicole's hard-earned success to pull herself out of a deep financial hole she has created by her own poor business and professional decisions," the attorney said.

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S** Pistols -

Former S** Pistols members (drummer Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones) sued ex-frontman John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten. The reason was to allow the band's songs to be featured in the 2022 TV series 'Pistol.'

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S** Pistols -

A High Court judge ruled against Lydon, and the songs were featured in the TV series. This is because the decision was made on a "majority rules basis," a term covered under the band member agreement.

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Oasis -

Noel Gallagher said that Oasis had to cancel their show at the V Festival in 2009 because his brother Liam was hungover.

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Oasis -

Liam then sued Noel, denying the allegations and stating that he couldn't perform because he had laryngitis. Though all Liam demanded from his brother was an apology. Noel complied with the request and the suit was dropped.

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The Beatles -

Paul McCartney sued the Beatles in 1970 to dissolve the band's partnership, and consequently stop Allen Klein from managing their finances.

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The Beatles -

The judge ruled in favor of McCartney, and the Beatles’ partnership was dissolved in 1971. "If I hadn’t done that, it would have all belonged to Allen Klein. The only way I was given to get us out of that was to do what I did," said the former Beatle.

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Aerosmith -

In 2019, drummer Joey Kramer suffered an ankle injury, and when he was ready to return and perform at the Grammys in 2020, the band would't let him, asking him to perform a number of rehearsals before he could join them.

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Aerosmith -

Kramer sued the band, but the judge denied the drummer’s request to order the band to let him join them. “Given that Kramer has not played with the band in six months and the dearth of available rehearsal time before the upcoming performances, Kramer has not shown a realistic alternative course of action sufficient to protect the band’s business interests,” read the judge's decision.

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The Doors -

In 2003, former Doors guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek teamed with former Cult singer Ian Astbury and started performing as the Doors of the 21st Century. The band's former drummer John Densmore was not part of the new project.

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The Doors -

John Densmore didn't like that the word "Doors" was considerably larger than the others in the logo, and that the image of the late Jim Morrison was being used. Densmore and the Morrison estate sued.

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The Doors -

Manzarek and Krieger eventually paid US$3.2 million to Densmore and Morrison's estate, plus US$2 million in legal fees. They then started performing under the name Riders on the Storm.

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Black Sabbath -

In 2009, Ozzy Osbourne sued his former bandmate, Tony Iommi, alleging that the guitarist had taken sole ownership of the Black Sabbath trademark.

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Black Sabbath -

Despite all this, the dispute was "amicably resolved" by 2010.

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Pink Floyd -

Tensions ran high in the band for many years, and in 1983 Roger Waters decided to leave Pink Floyd. But when the band started to record a new album without Waters, he sued them.

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Pink Floyd -

They eventually reached an agreement, with David Gilmour and Nick Mason coming out of it still being able to perform as Pink Floyd.
Waters and the gang reunited years later.

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Fleetwood Mac -

In 2018, the band's guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham, learned that Fleetwood Mac was planning to go on tour without him. This was reportedly due to scheduling conflicts with regards to Buckingham's solo career.

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Fleetwood Mac -

Buckingham sued for US$12 million alleging that he was available to tour. The lawsuit was settled and, although the outcome was not made public, the guitarist said in an interview that he was happy with the result.

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Stone Temple Pilots -

In 2013, Scott Weiland was fired from the band. Shortly after, he started performing under the Stone Temple Pilots name. The band sued him.

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Stone Temple Pilots -

Then Weiland countersued them for being unjustly fired from the band. It is unclear how the suit was settled, but the band reunited in 2015. Not long after, Weiland tragically passed away.

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Ghost -

The Swedish band was fronted by Tobias Forge, aka Papa Emeritus, and masked band members known as Nameless Ghouls. The faceless musicians decided to sue Forge for poor working conditions.

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Ghost -

Forge claimed they were session musicians and not full-fledged band members, and so were paid as such. In 2018, a judge ruled in his favor. The musicians appealed, alleging that the decision was biased as the judge and Forge were both Freemasons. It was denied. But in 2019, they were back in court. Will it ever end?

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The Offspring -

In 2019, former bass player Gregory "Greg K." Kriesel sued the Offspring, alleging that his ex-bandmates plotted to kick him out and deny him the amount of revenue he was due.

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The Offspring -

The band countersued, with Bryan "Dexter" Holland and Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman claiming that they tried to negotiate his leaving terms at the time.

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Live -

Former Live front man Ed Kowalczyk left the band in 2009 and started performing shows as "Ed Kowalczyk of Live." Needless to say, his former bandmates weren't happy about it.

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Live -

In 2012, Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer, and Chad Gracey sued Kowalczyk for US$2 million. The suit was settled one year later, and things got back to normal when in 2017 they reunited as Live again.

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Violent Femmes -

In 2007, bass player Brian Ritchie sued singer Gordon Gano over royalties, claiming he co-wrote most of the band's songs.

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Violent Femmes -

It's not clear if legal action is still ongoing, but the band performed together again in 2013 and released a new album in 2016, so we assume the dust has settled.

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Grand Funk Railroad -

In 2018, Don Brewer and Mel Schacher sued former bandmate Mark Farn, alleging that how he billed himself violated an injunction that specified how the band's name could be used.

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Grand Funk Railroad -

This included him performing as "Mark Farner's American Band," which is similar to the title of the Grand Funk Railroad's song 'We're an American Band.' A judge ruled that he could still use that name.

Sources: (Grunge) (The Guardian)

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The Black Crowes -

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The Black Crowes -

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The Pussycat Dolls -

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S** Pistols -

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S** Pistols -

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Oasis -

Noel Gallagher said that Oasis had to cancel their show at the V Festival in 2009 because his brother Liam was hungover.

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Oasis -

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The Beatles -

Paul McCartney sued the Beatles in 1970 to dissolve the band's partnership, and consequently stop Allen Klein from managing their finances.

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The Beatles -

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Aerosmith -

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Aerosmith -

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The Doors -

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The Doors -

John Densmore didn't like that the word "Doors" was considerably larger than the others in the logo, and that the image of the late Jim Morrison was being used. Densmore and the Morrison estate sued.

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The Doors -

Manzarek and Krieger eventually paid US$3.2 million to Densmore and Morrison's estate, plus US$2 million in legal fees. They then started performing under the name Riders on the Storm.

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Black Sabbath -

In 2009, Ozzy Osbourne sued his former bandmate, Tony Iommi, alleging that the guitarist had taken sole ownership of the Black Sabbath trademark.

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Black Sabbath -

Despite all this, the dispute was "amicably resolved" by 2010.

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Pink Floyd -

Tensions ran high in the band for many years, and in 1983 Roger Waters decided to leave Pink Floyd. But when the band started to record a new album without Waters, he sued them.

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Pink Floyd -

They eventually reached an agreement, with David Gilmour and Nick Mason coming out of it still being able to perform as Pink Floyd.
Waters and the gang reunited years later.

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Fleetwood Mac -

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Fleetwood Mac -

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Stone Temple Pilots -

In 2013, Scott Weiland was fired from the band. Shortly after, he started performing under the Stone Temple Pilots name. The band sued him.

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Stone Temple Pilots -

Then Weiland countersued them for being unjustly fired from the band. It is unclear how the suit was settled, but the band reunited in 2015. Not long after, Weiland tragically passed away.

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Ghost -

The Swedish band was fronted by Tobias Forge, aka Papa Emeritus, and masked band members known as Nameless Ghouls. The faceless musicians decided to sue Forge for poor working conditions.

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Ghost -

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The Offspring -

In 2019, former bass player Gregory "Greg K." Kriesel sued the Offspring, alleging that his ex-bandmates plotted to kick him out and deny him the amount of revenue he was due.

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The Offspring -

The band countersued, with Bryan "Dexter" Holland and Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman claiming that they tried to negotiate his leaving terms at the time.

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Live -

Former Live front man Ed Kowalczyk left the band in 2009 and started performing shows as "Ed Kowalczyk of Live." Needless to say, his former bandmates weren't happy about it.

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Live -

In 2012, Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer, and Chad Gracey sued Kowalczyk for US$2 million. The suit was settled one year later, and things got back to normal when in 2017 they reunited as Live again.

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Violent Femmes -

In 2007, bass player Brian Ritchie sued singer Gordon Gano over royalties, claiming he co-wrote most of the band's songs.

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Violent Femmes -

It's not clear if legal action is still ongoing, but the band performed together again in 2013 and released a new album in 2016, so we assume the dust has settled.

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Grand Funk Railroad -

In 2018, Don Brewer and Mel Schacher sued former bandmate Mark Farn, alleging that how he billed himself violated an injunction that specified how the band's name could be used.

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Grand Funk Railroad -

Sources: (Grunge) (The Guardian)

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Musicians who sued their own bands

Lauryn Hill sued for fraud by Fugees bandmate Pras Michel over tour

02/10/24 | StarsInsider

MUSIC Bandmates

On October 1, Fugees co-founder Pras Michel filed a shocking lawsuit against his bandmate, Lauryn Hill. He is accusing Hill of fraud and breach of contract in relation to the cancellation of several dates on their 2023 tour and the cancellation of the North American leg of their 2024 reunion tour. Hill says she experienced an injury in 2023, and had to cancel the 2024 tour due to low ticket sales caused by sensationalist media stories. Michel is claiming that she took control of the tour's budget, inflating it with "unnecessary and, most likely fictitious expenses," and used it as a "veiled and devious" attempt to make money for herself. He also claims that he was cheated out of his fair share of the proceeds and that Hill defrauded him into signing an unfair contract by withholding information about the tour finances.

Hill released a statement in response to the lawsuit in which she described the accusations as "baseless" and said the filing "is full of false claims and unwarranted attacks." Hill wrote that Michel was in fact given a major advance of US$3 million to help him cover his legal expenses, as the rapper was fighting a legal battle himself after being charged with illegal lobbying during the 2012 presidential elections. He was found guilty in 2023.

It's no secret that some bandmates hate each other, though not all of them go as far as filing a lawsuit against a band member—or indeed the whole band! But many musicians have in fact taken that legal leap.

Yet not all were seeking millions in unpaid royalties, or anything like that. In fact, some musicians did so for somewhat petty reasons. Curious? Click through the following gallery and learn more about the musicians who sued their own bands.