L.A. Guns vocalist Phil Lewis and guitarist Tracii Guns have been locked in a fierce legal battle with the band’s former drummer and bassist, Steve Riley and Kelly Nickel, who have been releasing music under the band’s original name.
The ex-band mates have now reached a settlement dismissing the current lawsuit. The agreement will see Guns and Lewis continue to release music under the name L.A. GUNS and Riley and Nickel will release music under the name ‘Riley’s L.A. Guns’ which will be accompanied by a new logo.
The four men issued the following statement regarding the matter on Friday, April 23rd (American time).
“Plaintiffs Tracii Guns and Philip Lewis and defendants Stephen Riley, Kelly Nickels, Kurt Frolich, and Scott Griffin have agreed to settle the trademark litigation currently pending in the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the parties have agreed to dismiss the pending lawsuit.”
“Mr. Guns and Mr. Lewis will continue to operate under the ‘L.A. Guns’ trademark, while Mr. Riley and his bandmates will now operate under the new name, ‘Riley’s L.A. Guns’ and a new logo,” the statement read.
It continued: “both bands look forward to continuing to record and perform their new music, as well as continuing to include songs from the vintage L.A. Guns catalog for their fans.”
“Both groups’ recordings will continue to appear together on Spotify and other digital music streaming services. –Attorneys Erik J. Foley and G. Warren Bleeker, counsel for Tracii Guns and Philip Lewis; and Attorney S. Martin Keleti, counsel for Stephen Riley, et al.”
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Both halves of the metal band have been locked in the bitter feud since January 2020 when Guns and Lewis filed a complaint in California District Court against Riley alleging that Riley’s version of L.A. Guns was creating “unfair competition” through its unauthorized usage of the L.A. Guns trademark. Guns and Lewis also claimed that Riley had embezzled much of the group’s publishing proceeds over the past two decades.
The complaint also alleges that Riley was fired from L.A. Guns in 1992 for “assaulting” Lewis but he then rejoined the band in 1995 when Lewis temporarily left.
For more on this topic head to the Metal Observer.
