John Oates and Daryl Hall.Photo:Michael Loccisano/Getty
Michael Loccisano/Getty
John Oateshas filed a first-person declaration defending himself amid the ongoing legal dispute with his Hall & Oates bandmate.
“Far from becoming ‘adversarial and aggressive instead of professional and courteous,’ as Daryl has claimed, over the last 50 years I have always devoted my energy to ensuring that both the public and the music industry perceive the Hall & Oates music and brand in the most positive light,” Oates, 75, alleges in the filing from Wednesday.
Oates claims that while he and Hall, 77, “have not seen eye to eye,” he’s continued “to present opportunities to improve and protect the business and artistic integrity of the partnership.”
“In fact, Daryl has become unwilling to work with me to try to protect the marks and other intellectual property that we spent decades building,” Oates alleges.
Oates claims that just as Hall has “consistently and publicly been adamant about being perceived as an individual rather than as part of a duo or group,” he “now must act with truthfulness and make decisions that are right for myself, my family, and my artistic future.”
While he can’t discuss the specifics in Hall’s declaration without violating a privacy agreement with Hall, Oates denies breaching their agreement, going behind his back or acting in bad faith.
Lawyers for both Hall and Oates did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Hall filedhis first-person declarationon Wednesday in which he claimed that Oates ambushed him with plans to sell his share of a joint business venture to a third party.
He continued: “I believe that John Oates timed the Unauthorized Transaction to create the most harm to me. Respectfully, he must be stopped from this latest wrongdoing and his malicious conduct reined in once and for all.”
On Nov. 9, Hall began an arbitration process against Oates to prevent his bandmate from transferring 100% of his right, title and interest in Whole Oats to a third-party buyer calledPrimary Wave Musicwithout Hall’s consent, a transaction he claims is “unauthorized and void” and a breach of contract. Hall claimed that Oates had entered into a letter of intent with Primary Wave that could’ve closed as early as Nov. 20, and Hall argued that the sale would cause him “imminent irreparable harm.”
According to theAssociated Press, Primary Wave has already owned significant interest in the Grammy-nominated musicians’ song catalog for more than 15 years,Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
John Oates and Daryl Hall in 1983.Michael Putland/Getty
Michael Putland/Getty
On Nov. 16, when Hall’s court complaint was filed, there was no arbitrator chosen, and Hall was unable to pursue his pending request in the arbitration for temporary injunctive relief in the manner requested.
Hall claimed that in order to close the Primary Wave transaction, he sought the restraining order against Oates — which was granted the next day. He alleged he needed to “maintain the status quo of WOE before there is a change in control of the partnership in violation of the terms of the Agreement.”
Hall’s legal team wanted to keep much of the matter confidential because it’s a “private dispute… This is not a matter of legitimate public interest, although the parties are well known.” His legal team said the dispute refers to the interpretation of the 2021 agreement, the terms of which remain confidential.
According to the latest documents, the case will be decided in a confidential arbitration process, with the court declaring at a hearing Thursday that Oates cannot take any further action on the Primary Wave transfer at this time. The court also extended the temporary restraining order Hall requested earlier this month until Feb. 17, 2024 or once he and Oates resolve their dispute, whichever comes first.
source: people.com
