Mick Mars Notches a Legal Win Against Mötley Crüe

The lawyers representing Mick Mars are celebrating an early legal victory against the guitarist’s former bandmates, following a Los Angeles judge’s ruling that Mötley Crüe was unjustly stonewalling proceedings.

According to the ruling, originally obtained by Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant cited the fact that it took eight months for the Crüe and their people to submit the large amount of corporate documents that Mars initially sued for back in April. Citing that delay, the judge ordered the band to pay the 72-year-old guitarist’s legal bills.

Not only did it take so long to procure those documents, but the judge also noted that an initial document drop back in November was made with the band’s representation promising that they’d submitted “all of the responsive documents.” That ended up not actually being the case, with the judge once again citing the nearly 1,400 pages of records that were submitted in December.

“These documents should have been produced without the need for prodding by Mars. [The] failure to produce the documents earlier than December 8 amounts to a refusal.”

Though this may seem like cold comfort in the grand scheme of things, Mars’ lawyer Ed McPherson told Rolling Stone that this was finally proof that the band was trying to “bully” his client into completely giving up his stake in the band.

“Finally, somebody, somewhere told these guys they can’t bully Mick anymore. We’re in the middle of a huge arbitration that will ultimately decide if Mick has to give up his shares or not, if they did things properly or not. Obviously we claim they didn’t do anything properly. But they feel that they’re above the rules. And that’s what this lawsuit was about.

“This was them feeling they were above the rules, and this judge saying, ‘No, you’re not. And you may have given all the documents now, so there’s nothing left for me to do, but, you’re going to pay for it.’ I think that’s a pretty huge victory for Mick. If they want to claim a victory, that’s fine. But this is someone finally telling Mick, ‘No, you’re not crazy. These guys are bullying you. And we’re not going to let it happen.’”

And while Mars and McPherson have claimed this as a victory, so too has Mötley Crüe and their legal representation. That feeling stems from a portion of the judge’s ruling where he called Mars’ remaining request for more documents “moot” since the 2023 general ledger request he filed wasn’t included in the list of missing documents back in November.

In a statement provided to Rolling Stone, the Crüe’s attorney Sasha Frid and Miller Barondess said that one word — “moot” — means the legal battle was finished.

“The case is over. That’s the key takeaway. By denying the petition as moot and ending the case, the court found that the band turned over all the documents to Mars and there is nothing more to do. The band went above and beyond its obligations by providing much more documents than the statute required – indeed, the court’s decision explained the thousands of documents that the band provided to Mars.”

Mars’ lawyer said that was a misrepresentation, as the guitarist’s main case is still heading to private arbitration later this year. That particular legal battle kicked off soon after Mars was ousted from the band.

The original complaint alleged that the band was actively trying to sever Mars from the band he’d been in since 1981. Though he announced that his battle with ankylosing spondylitis was why he would no longer be touring with the band, Mars contends that it didn’t mean he was willing to stop recording music or occasionally join them on stage. The fact that the band ultimately had a meeting and decided to kick him out of the band anyway, he claimed, felt like a major betrayal.

Not only that, but after he announced he was done touring, he alleges that his now former bandmates proposed that he legally separate from the band. If he agreed, his percentage of the touring and merch profits would be cut from 25% to 5%. That stake would eventually become 0% for future tours. Mars claims that the band’s management increased that initial 5% to 7.5% for the band’s 2023 tour. It’s a claim that the band’s manager Allen Kovak confirmed with Variety last April.

“[Mars] was offered a terrific opportunity. An offer was made to him at 5%, and then up to 7.5 percent, to avoid this. What Mick’s asking for is an equal share, 25% — but there’s a guy named John 5 in the band. Mick resigned from touring, and John 5’s getting paid. So who’s gonna pay John 5? None of this makes sense.

“They’ve got [a 2023 tour] they’re about halfway through, so let’s [estimate] $150 million [in gross], and then you take off for production and commissions, and let’s call it 100 or 110 million. What’s seven and a half percent of that? He says it’s an insult. And you’ve got me quoting that the other two guys got zero when they were out of the band” — meaning Vince Neil and Tommy Lee, during the periods they left the group. “So where’s the insult? I think Mick is part of the 1%. Please put that on the record. … Let’s say it was seven and a half percent of $110 million. Could you live on that, even if you have tens of millions already?”

Needless to say, Mars declined that offer and well, here we are. This won’t be the last we’ll hear of this legal battle and it will likely be a fucking mess until the dust finally settles.