MUSIC
Why is Mick Mars suing Mötley Crüe?
The guitarist is suing his former bandmates, claiming that they unfairly ousted him from the band.
Mick Mars is suing his former band, Mötley Crüe, claiming that they unfairly kicked him out of the band following his announcement that he was retiring due to his ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis, a disease which causes the lower back to seize up.
Mars, 71, asserts that he did not quit the band, but retired from extensive touring, and was still willing to perform limited shows.
What does the lawsuit state?
On April 6, Mars’ lawsuit was made public, putting the blame on his bandmates for completely removing him from all aspects of the band following his retirement announcement.
In his lawsuit, Mars says the band cut him from profits that he feels are owed to him as one of the band’s founding members. The suit also makes it clear that Mars had to retire from touring as a result of his spinal disease, which he has suffered from since the age of 27, which causes vertebrae to fuse, making it difficult for him to stand for long periods of time.
He made it clear to the band that he could still perform at shows that don’t require traveling, such as one-off performances and residencies.
The suit then claims that the band fired him after a shareholder’s meeting, removing him as an officer of the seven businesses that the band runs.
These businesses, targets of the lawsuit, are Mötley Crüe Touring, Inc., Mötley Crüe, Inc., Red, White and Crue, Inc., Masters 2000, Inc., Cruefest, LLC, Mötley Records, LLC and Masters 2008, LLC. Several other unnamed businesses and people associated with the band are also included in the lawsuit.
Mars stated that he owns 25 percent of the share in each of the businesses.
In response, Mötley Crüe’s lawyers say that Mars will continue to receive royalties from publishing and recordings, but he’s not entitled to continue to be a shareholder in the businesses run by the band.
His lawsuit claims that the severance agreement offered to him was 5 percent, down from 25 percent, of what the band would make from their upcoming tour, the first without him. Mars found this number insulting, and the number was increased to 7.5 percent, which he still declined.
Mars claims he was the only member playing live
Along with allegations that he was unfairly kicked out of the band, Mars also makes the claim in his lawsuit that he was the only member playing 100 percent live during their 2022 tour of 36 shows.
The band pointed fingers back at Mars that he was missing his cues, according to statements given to Variety, but Mars said the band was relying on strange sound mixes for their performances last year.
In a Variety interview, Mars said: “What was going in my ear wasn’t really my guitar. It was some kind of weird, out-of-phase kind of a thing,” explaining that a mix of recorded audio and live audio would drown out the sound of his guitar.
No date for the arbitration between Mars and the band has been set.