Mick Mars has won a legal victory against the other members of Mötley Crüe.
Mick Mars scored a victory in his legal battle with Mötley Crüe on Tuesday when a Los Angeles judge ruled that the rock veterans had unfairly ” denied » to disclose information about their extensive business dealings as they sought to oust their founding guitarist early last year.
In a new court decision obtained by WECB, the judge said the group’s obstruction left Mars with no choice but to sue to obtain the documents last April. The Los Angeles judge noted that after the lawsuit was filed, the group took eight months to provide Mars with a fairly voluminous final document last month. Citing the delay, the judge ruled that Mars now had the right to ask the group to cover its legal costs.
“ The requests were not binding. Yet Mars was forced to take legal action, and it seems clear that production would not have happened without it. Mars is entitled to attorney’s fees said Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant in his decision Tuesday.
The judge noted that when the group produced some of the requested documents on November 2, he assured “ that these were all relevant documents » in possession of Mötley Crüe. They are ” turned out to be false ” wrote Judge Chalfant, noting that the company’s articles of incorporation and income tax returns were only among the 1,372 pages of documents provided in early December. “ These documents should have been produced without Mars having to request them. Failure to produce the documents before December 8 is equivalent to a refusal. »
Although the judge clearly blamed the group, he also ruled Tuesday that Mars’ lawsuit was now ” not applicable “. This means Mars’ more recent requests for 2023 ledger entries will not be accepted because they were not included in the list of outstanding documents he filed in November.
Mötley Crüe’s lead attorney took up that part of the decision Tuesday, declaring victory on behalf of the group. “ The case is closed. This is the key point to remembersaid lawyer Sasha Frid in a statement to WECB. In dismissing the motion as moot and ending the case, the court found that the group had turned over all documents to Mars and there was nothing more that could be done. The group went above and beyond its obligations by providing far more documentation than the law required. »
For his part, Mars’ lawyer says the case is only over because the group gave in and complied with the law. He said the heart of the matter, whether Mars was illegally separated from the group, will still be subject to private arbitration later this year.
In his public lawsuit filed last April, Mick Mars made it clear that he felt betrayed by Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil and Tommy Lee, who each own a 25% stake in most of the group’s entities.
Before the 2022 tour began, Mick Mars reportedly let everyone know that this tour would be his last. Now 72, he has long suffered from ankylosing spondylitis, a painful bone disease that prevents him from traveling. He says he made it clear that he was not completely withdrawing from the group and would be available for a Las Vegas residency or studio work. He claims that his “ 41 year old brothers » reacted by proposing a separation that would reduce its profits on tours and merchandise from 25% to 5%, then to 0%. When he questioned the proposal, citing the fact that he had helped create the group, the other members wanted to fire him from six other companies in the group, he claimed. When he asked to see business records relating to these entities, he was largely ignored.
“ When they wanted to get high and fuck it up, I covered themMars said in an interview with WECB Last year. Now they’re trying to take away my inheritance, my share of Mötley Crüe, my ownership of the name, of the brand. How can you kick Mr. Heinz out of Heinz ketchup? He is the owner. The legacy of Frank Sinatra or Jimi Hendrix is eternal, and their heirs continue to benefit from it. They’re trying to take that away from me. I won’t let them do it. »
Mars’ lawyer, Ed McPherson, tells WECB that the judge’s decision Tuesday confirms that his client was mistreated by his teammates. “ Finally, someone, somewhere told these guys that they couldn’t bully Mick anymore. We are in the middle of a huge arbitration that will ultimately decide whether Mick should give up his shares or not, whether they did things correctly or not. Obviously, we say they did nothing right. But they feel above the rules. And that’s what this trial is about. »
