Scott Stapp Sued for $1.2 Million by Art of Anarchy Bandmates

Life is full of ambiguities, gray areas, and things ultimately unknowable. But there is a fact the certainty of which is unquestionable:

Art of Anarchy must stop hiring singers named Scott.

The band, you may recall — which includes Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), John Moyer (Disturbed, ex-Union Underground), and brothers Jon and Vince Votta — originally launched with Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver) as their frontman. That somehow resulted in a major kerfuffle, during which Weiland called the band “a scam.” Lawsuits ensued.

Art of Anarchy subsequently replaced Weiland with former Creed vocalist Scott Stapp. As expected, that resulted in some truly shitty music; as a bonus, it has also now resulted in — you guessed it — another lawsuit!!!

Silive.com (Motto: “The closest you should ever get to Staten Island!”) reports that this latest offering to their lawyers’ kids’ college funds was filed by Vice Inc., a business entry controlled by the Votta brothers. The suit alleges that “Despite Vice’s repeated and specific directions to Stapp, and Vice’s entreaties for his cooperation, Stapp repeatedly and continually shirked his contractual obligations,” including live performances and a music video shoot aboard the Intrepid, and instead focused on his solo career. As a result, the suit alleges, the band lost their record deal with Century Media. Furthermore, according to the suit, Stapp has failed to repay a $200,000 advance from Vice Inc., which was “treated as a loan, for tax purposes.” Vice Inc. is seeking $1.2 million in damages from Stapp.

Stapp has not yet yarled a response to the suit.

I neither know, nor care, who is in the right here, but I do this: if Stapp truly cost the band a contract with Century, they should probably be thanking him, not suing him. Just sayin’.

[via The PRP]