Mötley Crüe Declares Victory in Bitter Legal Battle with Mick Mars After Arbitration Ruling
An arbitrator has sided with Mötley Crüe in their dispute with founding guitarist Mick Mars, ordering Mars to repay an advance and sell his stake in the band. The ruling stems from Mars' departure from touring due to health issues.
The feud between Mötley Crüe and Mick Mars has reached a boiling point, with the band declaring a definitive win after a recent arbitration ruling. The dispute arose after Mars, the band's founding guitarist, stepped down from their world tour due to his battle with ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic and debilitating bone disease.
According to the ruling, bandmates Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and Vince Neil were within their rights to remove Mars as an officer and director of Mötley Crüe Inc. after his departure from the 2022 U.S. stadium tour.
Mars, 74, previously stated that he did not retire entirely and was open to residencies or studio work. However, the band terminated his position, leading to a legal battle that ended in arbitration.
The arbitrator upheld the band's decision to terminate Mars, ordering him to repay $750,030 from an advance due to missed live shows. Additionally, Mars is required to sell his ownership stake to Sixx, Lee, and Neil for $505,737. After deductions, Mötley Crüe will receive a net payment of $244,293.
"This dispute was about protecting the integrity and legacy of one of the most successful bands in rock history," stated Sasha Frid, the band's lead lawyer. "With the arbitrator rejecting every claim and enforcing the parties’ agreements as written, the band has been fully vindicated—legally, financially, and factually."
Ed McPherson, Mars' lawyer, criticized the ruling, stating, "The decision is awful. It’s not fair. This band has never been fair to Mick. When Mick said I can’t tour anymore because of a hideous disease, but I can still write, perform one-offs or residencies, and record, they said, ‘Sorry Mick. It’s been 43 years, but you’re out. Goodbye, and we don’t want to pay you anymore.’ This arbitrator said it’s fine...Basically, he’s over Mötley Crüe.”
Speaking with Rolling Stone in 2023, Mars expressed his frustration: "When they wanted to get high and fuck everything up, I covered for them. Now they’re trying to take my legacy away, my part of Mötley Crüe, my ownership of the name, the brand. How can you fire Mr. Heinz from Heinz ketchup? He owns it."
In court filings, Mars claimed he initiated the band’s founding, chose singer Vince Neil, and named Mötley Crüe. The band has denied abandoning Mars, with Frid stating they offered him a generous compensation package, which he refused.
Mars also accused his bandmates of using pre-recorded tracks during their 2022 reunion tour. "Nikki’s bass was 100% recorded," the guitarist told Variety. "Tommy’s drums, to the best of my knowledge, there was a lot…Everything that we did on that stadium tour was on tape."
In response, Sixx denied these claims, stating they used pre-recorded songs to compensate for alleged issues with Mars’ guitar playing. The band's law firm stated that Mars later admitted his statements were false and recanted his claims during sworn testimony.
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