Five Finger Death Punch Sues Prospect Park, Looks to Judge for Contract Release
Five Finger Death Punch have had ongoing record label issues since 2015. Their views on their former label Prospect Park and its CEO Jeff Kwatinetz, who also owns management company The Firm and was co-founder of the now defunct TOLN (The Online Network), have been made public several times as both parties, band and label, continue to hurl lawsuits at one another. Though FFDP signed with Rise Records last year, they’re currently unable to release a new album through Rise due to remaining contractual obligations with Prospect Park.
Looks like the group is hoping that a judge can change all that, though. TMZ reports that a new lawsuit has been filed by FFDP against Prospect Park, insinuating that the label is a “sinking ship,” and claiming that the band is the only profitable group on its roster. This is probably a reference to the fact that the label is in heavy debt because its parent company TOLN recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy before dissolving, causing Prospect Park to hemorrhage clients. Kwatinetz is still embroiled in lawsuits with ABC over the fallout from TOLN’s other contractual obligations regarding their acquisition of the online rights to several daytime soaps, so it makes sense that the label’s dwindling finances would be a legitimate concern. It remains the only business aside from The Firm that Kwatinetz has managed to keep afloat while he sorts it all out.
FFDP takes it a step further, also alleging that Prospect was “cooking up a bogus lawsuit last year to keep the band recording … while it shopped the label,” likely referring to the 2016 suit filed by Prospect Park in which the label accused the band of rushing to record a new album before vocalist Ivan Moody was hospitalized due to substance abuse and disregarding his well-being to do so. In addition, the label wanted more time to promote 2015’s Got Your Six release and required a minimum period of nine months between recording sessions, which the band disregarded.
We’ll keep you apprised of any emerging details, but hopefully a judge will rule on this quickly so the band and its former label can move on, that way I can go back to not giving a shit about either.
