Mötley Crüe says that it has won “a decisive victory” against former guitarist Mick Mars, resulting in “a final arbitration award that rejects every claim Mars made against the band and orders him to pay damages back to the group,” reports blabbermouth.net.
According to a press release issued by the band’s attorney, Sasha Frid of Miller Barondess, LLP, “the arbitrator’s ruling not only vindicates the band contractually and financially but also dismantles the public narrative Mars promoted in interviews with major outlets.”
When Mars announced his retirement from touring with Mötley Crüe in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. Only six months later, however, he filed a lawsuit against Mötley Crüe in Los Angeles County’s Superior Court, claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of band tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group’s corporation and business holdings via a shareholders’ meeting.
According to Frid, the arbitrator, the Honorable Patrick Walsh (Ret.),ruled entirely in favor of Mötley Crüe, confirming that Mars forfeited any right to touring revenue when he chose to stop touring — a rule Mars himself reportedly demanded and wrote into the band’s governing agreement in 2008. That amendment explicitly provides that any member who stops touring does not share in touring income.
Despite that agreement, Mars later demanded to continue receiving 25% of touring revenue in perpetuity while no longer performing. The arbitrator flatly rejected that position. The final award also upheld the band’s decision to terminate Mars as an officer and director for legal cause and ordered him to repay more than $750,000 in unrecouped tour advances. After accounting for the value of Mars‘s shares, the final award results in a net judgment in favor of Mötley Crüe.
But the case carries broader significance beyond band business disputes.
While the arbitration was pending, Mars launched a public media campaign accusing the band of not playing live — claims he repeated under oath. Most notably, he asserted that Nikki Sixx‘s bass and Tommy Lee‘s drums were pre-recorded, striking at the core of the band’s professional credibility.
Those accusations collapsed under scrutiny. Faced with extensive live performance recordings — and testimony from his own retained expert, a New York University professor specializing in music technology — Mars was forced to admit under oath that his statements were false. His expert confirmed that the band performed live, and Mars formally recanted his prior claims during sworn testimony.
Frid commented, “This dispute was about protecting the integrity and legacy of one of the most successful bands in rock history. With the arbitrator rejecting every claim and enforcing the parties’ agreements as written, the band has been fully vindicated — legally, financially, and factually.”
2 Responses
Wow! I actually believed Mars this entire time. Money truly is the root of all evil.
Hi RPS,
Well, we don’t know if Mötley‘s “expert” was biased, so, we can take that testimony with a grain of salt.
However the report, did not seem to indicate, that Mars had his own witness, or “expert” if you will, to counteract their professional’s testimony opposing their use of tapes at live performances.
I was most shocked about the challenge of future touring income, which seem to indicate, it was Mars, who actually put that caveat into place? It’s all very strange, perhaps, he felt he was forced, or bullied, into retiring?
I, like you, thought he might prevail. It was quite shocking to read he lost, and then on top of that, had to pay damages.