Motley Crue has lost the latest legal battle in the ongoing dispute with their former guitarist, Mick Mars.
The two sides have been battling since April, when Mars claimed the band was trying to rip him off financially following his retirement from the group.
Now a Los Angeles judge has ruled that the band refused to turn over documents to Mars in a timely manner, despite the guitarist and his representatives’ continued requests.
“The requests were not burdensome. Yet, Mars was compelled to file suit, and it appears plain that production would not have occurred without it. Mars is entitled to attorney fees,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant said in his ruling (as relayed by Rolling Stone).
The judge further noted that the band claimed to have given Mars “all of the responsive documents” he requested in November, only to turn around and give the guitarist an additional 1,372 pages of records in early December.
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“These documents should have been produced without the need for prodding by Mars,” Judge Chalfant wrote. “[The] failure to produce the documents earlier than December 8 amounts to a refusal.”
Why Motley Crue and Mick Mars Are Both Claiming Victory
Despite the decision, the dispute between Motley Crue and Mars continues. The crux of the battle – Mars’ claims that he was illegally severed from the band – is scheduled to be heard by a private arbitrator later this year.
Meanwhile, lawyers for both sides claimed victory following the judge’s recent ruling.
“Finally, somebody, somewhere told these guys they can’t bully Mick anymore. We’re in the middle of a huge arbitration that will ultimately decide if Mick has to give up his shares or not, if they did things properly or not. Obviously we claim they didn’t do anything properly. But they feel that they’re above the rules. And that’s what this lawsuit was about,” Mars’ attorney, Ed McPherson, told Rolling Stone.
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“This was them feeling they were above the rules, and this judge saying, ‘No, you’re not. And you may have given all the documents now, so there’s nothing left for me to do, but, you’re going to pay for it,” he continued. “I think that’s a pretty huge victory for Mick. If they want to claim a victory, that’s fine. But this is someone finally telling Mick, ‘No, you’re not crazy. These guys are bullying you. And we’re not going to let it happen.’”
On the other side, Motley Crue’s representatives were happy that Judge Chalfant dismissed Mars’ further legal filings as he considered them “moot” following his decision.
“The case is over. That’s the key takeaway,” declared the band’s attorney. “By denying the petition as moot and ending the case, the court found that the band turned over all the documents to Mars and there is nothing more to do. The band went above and beyond its obligations by providing much more documents than the statute required – indeed, the court’s decision explained the thousands of documents that the band provided to Mars.”
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A photo timeline of Motley Crue’s career.
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner