The Ugly Legal Dispute Between Mick Mars and Motley Crue Explained

By Dustin Rowles | Celebrity | April 12, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | Celebrity | April 12, 2023 |

Mick Mars, the 71-year-old former guitarist of Motley Crue, announced that he was “retiring from touring” last year, owing to a debilitating form of arthritis that affects the spine that he’s been battling since he was 27. In the intervening months, the relationship between Mars and his bandmates — Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, and Vince Neil — has broken down, and last week, Mars filed a lawsuit against his bandmates.

There’s a lot of petty back-and-forth in the lawsuit (via Variety) about how bad Mick Mars’ guitar playing had become over recent years, while Mars counters that Neil and Sixx use prerecorded mixes. The band basically contends that Mars couldn’t do his job anymore; they replaced him on tour with John 5, a guitarist who had played with Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson in the past. The band’s attorneys also contend that they have no ill will toward Mick Mars, and claim that all of this is coming from Mars’ representatives, who are taking advantage of Mars. “It’s called elder abuse,” said the band’s manager. Mars, meanwhile, is accusing the band of not compensating him properly, treating him unfairly, and making touring unbearable for him.

The central question, however, is this: Did Mars quit or was he fired? Mars claimed that he only retired “from touring,” but not the band, which is to say: He would still record albums and play guitar during Vegas residencies. Mars believes that he is owed 25 percent — an equal share of the band’s profits. The band offered up to 7.5 percent, claiming that most of the income the band earns comes from touring, that they have to pay Mars’ replacement John 5, and that neither Tommy Lee nor Vince Neil were paid anything during the years in which they quit the band.

Mars counters that his situation was different. Neil was fired, and Lee left to pursue other projects. “They did not leave after 41 years, and they did not simply retire from touring, particularly because of a debilitating disease. This scenario that you discuss would allow Sixx to get rid of everyone, and he would be the last man standing, owning everything. That is not how corporate law works, and that is not even how normal bands work, especially (regarding) a band founder.”

At stake is not a small sum of money, either. Motley Crue reportedly earned $150 million on its last tour, in case anyone was wondering why ticket prices are so expensive these days. After expenses, for Mars, it’s the difference between $7.5 million and $25 million, although the band somewhat dishonestly suggests that Mars — already a multimillionaire — doesn’t deserve additional millions because he’s already rich.

It’s an interesting case, and both sides have reasonable arguments. It is yet to be seen how the lawsuit will proceed, or how it will affect Crue’s future.

Source: Variety