Fueds & Lawsuits Within Bands

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In 1977, [James William] Guercio and Chicago parted ways after the band discovered that his contract was paying him 51% of profits, with the other 49% shared between the eight band members. In the CNN biography "Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago", the group revealed that "millions of dollars" had gone to Guercio while he was their manager. He has also been accused of mismanagement by Chicago, having been found to have pocketed royalty payments for most of the band's tenure

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The following year, in 1972, [Stan] Polley negotiated a record contract with Warner Bros. Records for Badfinger, which had its advances paid into an escrow account belonging to Polley. In 1974, Warner's publishing division filed a lawsuit against Polley when it was unsuccessful in locating the funds. The legal morass crippled Badfinger financially; leading to band leader Pete Ham taking his own life on April 24, 1975. His suicide note directly blamed Polley for his financial ruin. Eight years later bandmate Tom Evans died by suicide on November 19, 1983.

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Evans hanged himself in his garden on 19 November 1983, at the age of 36. He had fallen into a dispute with former bandmate Joey Molland over royalties for the song "Without You" the previous evening.

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The Pink Floyd feud between David Gilmour and Roger Waters stems from a deep-seated power struggle over the band's creative direction and legacy, beginning in the mid-1960s and intensifying after Waters' departure in 1985. Waters, the conceptual visionary, felt threatened by Gilmour's growing creative influence and saw himself as Pink Floyd's leader, while Gilmour became the band's emotional core and musical heart. The feud escalated into public arguments, legal battles after Waters tried to dissolve Pink Floyd, and ongoing social media conflicts, even involving Gilmour's wife, Polly Samson, who has traded barbs with Waters.

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Lawsuit with Kathy Valentine
The most prominent lawsuit involved bassist Kathy Valentine, who sued her former bandmates in 2013.
Background: Valentine was fired from the band after a series of disputes, including her publishing of a "Twitter memoir" that detailed some of the band's internal conflicts and substance abuse.
The suit: Valentine sued Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, and Gina Schock for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty.
Valentine's claims: She alleged that the other members attempted to dilute her 20% share of the band's revenues down to 2% by forming a new corporation that excluded her. This was allegedly done to prevent her from participating in a planned tour.
Resolution: The lawsuit was settled out of court in early 2014. Valentine would rejoin the band in 2018 for a tour and future activities.
Lawsuit with Gina Schock
In the 1990s, drummer Gina Schock filed her own lawsuit against the other members.
The suit: The suit, which was filed in 1997, alleged that Schock was not adequately paid for her contributions since 1986. It also claimed that a songwriting agreement with Charlotte Caffey had been breached.
Resolution: The suit was resolved by 1999, and the band continued to tour together.
Lawsuit with Margot Olavarria
The group also faced a lawsuit from their original bassist, Margot Olavarria, who was replaced by Kathy Valentine in 1980.
The suit: Olavarria sued her former bandmates in 1982 for wrongful removal from the group.

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David St. Germain is a clerk at Staples about 20 miles west of Nashville. He grew up in Baton Rouge -- he knows a few people that I know. David is an aspiring country singer. He's "got a gig tonight," and needs to get guitar strings. We've got strings. We're in Staples because we need a binder for the tour book, which until now has been a pile of paper rubber-banded into a manila folder. David's curious about our tour, about how much money we make. It's always hard to talk to people in David's world because our world just doesn't compare. The economics just wouldn't make sense to him. It's almost with shame (for the volumes it speaks of America's appreciation of art) that I tell him what kind of money we're making. It's almost with shame that I often have to explain to people outside the indie rock loop that, at the height of Don Caballero's popularity, this band that is destined to be referenced as an important groundbreaking band for years to come makes only an average of $700 a show. And me, well I make far less than that. But we've made enough so far to buy a binder and some ballpoint pens, as well as a pouch to hold Don Caballero's bank. Since I'm now acting as tour accountant, the bank gets to stay stuffed in my pants which makes it easier for me to pay for tolls and gas. It's not so much money that it distresses me, usually only $150 after I pay everyone each morning.

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