Daryl Hall has shed some light on why he is suing long-time creative and business partner, John Oates.
The singer-songwriter and host of Live From Daryl's House filed a sworn statement in Nashville Chancery Court yesterday (November 29), claiming Oates made a “completely clandestine and bad faith move” after “surreptitiously” seeking a deal to sell his share of the duo's joint venture without his consent, Rolling Stone reports.
In the document, Hall alleges that Oates "ambushed" him just days before he was leaving to headline a solo tour with intent to sell his half of Whole Oats Enterprises (WOE) to Primary Wave, a private music publishing company that has aquired the rights to music by Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Melissa Etheridge and Steven Tyler.
Hall says he feels a sale of the duo's trademarks, royaltyies and rights to name and likeness would cause “unimaginable” harm to the value of WOE.
Of the attempt to sell, Hall says he was "blindsided by this information. I have no intention of becoming partners with Primary Wave, and the Oates Trust cannot be permitted to thrust a new partner upon me in this outrageous fashion.”
Oates, however, has argued Hall's allegations, filing his own declaration saying he was “tremendously disappointed” in the “inflammatory, outlandish, and inaccurate statements” his partner made about him. He accuses Hall of causing the issues in dealing with their dispute over a "private mediation and private arbitration."
“I have no idea who or what is motivating Daryl to take these steps and make such salacious statements, but I am deeply hurt,” Oates stated. He said over the last 50 years, he has devoted himself to ensuring that fans and the music industry “perceive the Hall & Oates music and brand in the most positive light.”
Oates also accuses Hall of singling him out of the businees, claimign he “has consistently and publicly been adamant about being perceived as an individual rather than as part of a duo or group,” insisting they go under the name “Daryl Hall and John Oates” instead of “Hall & Oates," which they are more often referred as.
Read the full article with more statements from both parties here.