5 Seconds Of Summer is being sued for $2.5 million

5 Seconds Of Summer (Or 5SOS to the fans) is being sued for $2.5 million by their former management The YM&U Group. 

The band allegedly refused to pay The YM&U Group their owed commission for “multiple lucrative deals it negotiated on behalf of the group”. This included a record deal with BMG ($10 million) and a merchandising deal with the Bravado International Group ($1.5 million).

5 Seconds Of Summer hired YM&U in February, before parting ways in September.

Though all 4 members are defendants, their manager Benjamin Evans is being highlighted as the instigator. 

According to TMZ, the group are seeking a “fat cheque for their hard work securing lucrative deals”. 

YM&U are after $2.5 million in damages, as well as a confidential amount from Evans specifically. 

YM&U’s representation (attorney’s Howard King and Stephen Rothschild) allege that Evans “acted with fraud, malice or oppression”. They also reportedly claim “Evans and 5SOS’s other advisors believed that, by refusing to pay [YM&U] anything for its months of services, 5SOS could pressure [them] to substantially discount what 5SOS owed”. 

Allegedly, 5SOS and YM&U went their separate ways just before the band signed the deal record deal with BMG. They agreed 15% would be paid to YM&U ($825,000). 

However, YM&U are accusing 5SOS of then backing out of this agreement. 

The group claim they have sent several invoices for their work that have not been paid. It is alleged that because the deal with BMG was signed after cutting ties with 5SOS, they are using that as an excuse to not pay them.

“The only reason given was 5SOS’s attorney’s frivolous assertion that the timing of 5SOS’s termination of plaintiff somehow entitled 5SOS to refuse to pay plaintiff for the valuable services they had induced plaintiff to provide”, the filing claims. 

This comes as a blow to the band as they celebrate their 10th anniversary since forming. The track is appropriately titled ‘2011’ 

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