Mick Mars, the former lead guitarist with Motley Crue, has won a legal victory against his ex-bandmates over their business dealings. A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ruled last week that Motley Crue had deliberately delayed providing Mars with various documents related to their finances and contracts, forcing him to file a lawsuit in April 2023.
The judge said that Motley Crue had taken eight months to hand over the last batch of documents, which was unreasonable and unfair to Mars. As a result, the judge ordered the band to pay for Mars' legal fees, which could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
However, the judge also dismissed Mars' lawsuit as "moot", saying that he had no right to request other documents that he had not specified in his original complaint filed in November 2022. The judge said that Mars had failed to show how those documents were relevant to his case.
Motley Crue's lawyer, Sasha Frid, told Rolling Stone that the decision was a win for the band, because it meant that the case was over and that Mars had no grounds to pursue further legal action. Frid said, "The case is over. That's the key takeaway."
Mars' lawyer, Ed McPherson, disagreed, saying that the decision confirmed that Mars had been mistreated by his former bandmates, who had tried to bully him out of his rightful share of the band's profits and assets. McPherson said, "Finally, somebody, somewhere told these guys they can't bully Mick anymore."
The legal dispute between Mars and Motley Crue stems from their fallout in 2022, when the band allegedly fired Mars without cause and replaced him with a younger guitarist. Mars claims that he was owed royalties and other payments from the band's lucrative reunion tour and residency in Las Vegas, which he helped to create and promote. Mars also accuses the band of breaching their contract and fiduciary duty to him.
The remaining issues between the two parties will be settled in private arbitration later this year, where Mars hopes to obtain a fair resolution and compensation for his contributions to Motley Crue.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]