Mötley Crüe Wins Legal Battle Against Founding Guitarist Mick Mars
The legal dispute between Mötley Crüe and founding guitarist Mick Mars has concluded, with the band emerging victorious. A judge has ruled in favor of the Crüe, addressing issues of profit sharing and Mars's role within the band following his...
The acrimonious legal battle between Mötley Crüe and their founding guitarist Mick Mars has reached its conclusion, with the Crüe claiming victory. In 2022, the band announced that Mars was retiring from touring due to his battle with ankylosing spondylitis, a degenerative bone disease, while stating he would remain a member. A year later, Mars sued his bandmates, alleging that they had unilaterally ousted him and reduced his share of the band's profits from 25% to 5%.
According to Rolling Stone, a retired judge ruled that Mötley Crüe had the right to "remove Mars as an officer and director of Mötley Crüe Inc." when he could no longer tour with the band. The judge ordered Mars to repay $750,030 from an advance after missing numerous live shows and to sell his ownership stake in the company to his bandmates for $505,737, resulting in a net payment of $244,293 owed by Mars.
Mars' lawyer, Ed McPherson, expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision, 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. We need to figure out if we’re going to challenge [the decision]. It’s ridiculous. It’s just a question of whether he wants to keep pursuing this. Basically, he’s over Mötley Crüe."
In response, Mötley Crüe's lawyer, Sasha Frid, stated, "This dispute was about protecting the integrity and legacy of one of the most successful bands in rock history. With the arbitrator rejecting every claim and enforcing the parties’ agreements as written, the band has been fully vindicated — legally, financially, and factually.”
The dispute has been marked by harsh words from both sides. In 2023, Mars asserted, "I carried those bastards for years." Subsequently, a lawyer for Mötley Crüe accused Mars' representatives of "elder abuse," alleging manipulation of the guitarist, who is now 74.
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