Mötley Crüe have come out on top in their long-running legal battle with founding guitarist Mick Mars.
After years of simmering tension following Mars’ exit from touring due to chronic illness, an arbitrator in Los Angeles ruled in favour of Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and Vince Neil, confirming they were within their legal rights to strip Mars of his role as an officer and director of Mötley Crüe Inc. and cut ties after he stepped back from the band’s punishing 2022 US stadium run.
Per Rolling Stone, Mars claimed the band unjustly fired him after he bowed out. He previously told Rolling Stone that he never retired from the band entirely and remained available for a residency or studio work.
In the final ruling, the arbitrator ordered Mars to repay $750,030 from an advance because he missed 69 live shows. The judge also ruled Mars must sell his ownership stake in the iconic group to Sixx, Lee, and Neil for $505,737. After subtracting the sale price, the arbitrator awarded Mötley Crüe a net payment of $244,293.
Mötley Crüe’s lawyer framed the decision as a necessary move to protect the band’s legacy, saying the ruling upheld the agreements all parties signed in the first place.
“This dispute was about protecting the integrity and legacy of one of the most successful bands in rock history,” the band’s lead lawyer, Sasha Frid of Miller Barondess LLP, said in a statement. “With the arbitrator rejecting every claim and enforcing the parties’ agreements as written, the band has been fully vindicated – legally, financially, and factually.”
Unsurprisingly, Mars’ camp thinks otherwise. His lawyer, Ed McPherson, called the outcome “awful” and “not fair”, arguing that leaving the tour due to health issues shouldn’t have cost him his stake or income.
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“This band has never been fair to Mick. When Mick said I can’t tour anymore because of a hideous disease, but I can still write, perform one-offs or residencies, and record, they said, ‘Sorry Mick. It’s been 43 years, but you’re out. Goodbye, and we don’t want to pay you anymore.’ This arbitrator said it’s fine. We need to figure out if we’re going to challenge [the decision]. It’s ridiculous. It’s just a question of whether he wants to keep pursuing this. Basically, he’s over Mötley Crüe.”
Mars has been vocal about feeling betrayed, accusing his former bandmates of trying to erase his role in Mötley Crüe’s history. In previous comments, he’s even suggested the band used backing tracks during the 2022 tour – claims that have been firmly denied by Sixx and the others.
In a press release announcing the arbitration decision, the band’s law firm said 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.”
