To quote their 1983 hit: say it isn't so Hall & Oates!
The long-standing partnership between the blue-eyed soul duo of Daryl Hall and John Oates seems to have hit a snag, as the former has filed a lawsuit and asked for a restraining order over his music and business partner.
Although details have not been revealed, Hall reportedly filed an undisclosed complaint against Oates on November 16 at the Nashville Chancery Court, along with a motion for a temporary restraining order, according to Philadelphia magazine.
The next day, the court issued a restraining order that will begin on November 30.
TMZ reports that the lawsuit is said to claim a breach of contract, and that the duo was in arbitration over some dispute, speculating it could be over royalties or Oates singing Hall's songs in his solo live sets.
The site also points to an appearance Hall made on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast last year, where he rejected the idea that Oates was a creative collaborator.
“You think John Oates is my partner? … He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner," Hall said to Maher. "John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We are business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me.”
Daryl Hall and John Oates became collaborators back in 1970, going on to become the most successful musical duo in rock history. Despite continually touring together in recent years, their last recording together was 2006's Home For Christmas. They last performed on stage together in Laughlin, NV on October 22, 2022.