NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After more than a half-century of making music together, Daryl Hall is suing John Oates and arguing in arbitration that he can’t sell his share of a Hall & Oates business partnership without Hall’s permission.
Public court filings have revealed just how wide the rift has grown between the duo famous for hits in the 1970s and ’80s, including “Maneater,” “Rich Girl” “Kiss on My List” and “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do).”
Hall has accused Oates of blindsiding and betraying him, saying their relationship and his trust in Oates have deteriorated. Oates has said he is “deeply hurt” that Hall is making “infl ammatory, outlandish, and inaccurate statements” about him.
A Nashville judge recently paused the sale of Oates’ stake in Whole Oats Enterprises LLP to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC until an arbitrator weighs in, or until Feb. 17.
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Here are some recent developments.
What are Hall & Oates going to court for?
The dispute went public on Nov. 16, when Hall filed a lawsuit in a Nashville chancery court asking a judge to stop the sale by Oates so a separate, private arbitration could begin. Hall’s lawsuit contends that going to court was the only way to ensure the sale by Oates and others involved in his trust didn’t close before an arbitrator could weigh in. Hall filed for arbitration on Nov. 9.
Still, the pair’s private business holdings and their agreements are largely blocked from public view, even after a judge unsealed many filings. Oates’ attorneys have argued that he lived up to his contractual obligations and didn’t go behind Hall’s back.
They have said the case should have remained only in arbitration, while accusing Hall of publicizing issues from what had been a private disagreement.
A judge put the sale on hold the day the lawsuit was filed, then extended that pause last week.
What is the proposed sale timeline?
A court declaration by Hall shows what kind of valuable Hall & Oates materials Whole Oats Enterprises contains, though it does not describe the value, ownership percentage breakdown or sale price for those materials. The declaration cites materials such as trademarks, personal name and likeness rights, record royalty income and website and social media assets.
The musicians had been considering how to undergo a “global divorce” in late 2022, when Hall said he was entertaining Oates’ push to dissolve their touring entity and a separate partnership related to their musical compositions and publishing, Hall’s declaration says. Hall, meanwhile, proposed dissolving Whole Oats Enterprises.
Their disputes about Whole Oats Enterprises worsened and hit an impasse, leading them to enter mediation in July, Hall’s arbitration filing states.
The filing accuses Oates of quietly negotiating a deal with Primary Wave, while letting Hall continue with normal mediation tasks, costing him time and legal fees.
Oates’ team entered into a non-disclosure agreement on Oct. 2 without Hall’s knowledge that provided Primary Wave confidential information from the partnership. Blind to the Primary Wave negotiations, Hall and his representatives attended an hours long mediation the next day. On Oct. 19, Hall’s attorneys provided Oates’ team with proposed settlement documents, though Oates’ team still has not commented on them, the arbitration document says.
The next day, Oates sent Hall the transfer notice and letter of intent describing the sale to Primary Wave, according to Hall’s filing.
What was Daryl Hall’s reaction?
The court fight was initially shrouded by corporate legalese and filings unavailable to the public’s view. Hall then peeled away the veneer in a point-by-point declaration detailing why he is “deeply troubled by the deterioration of my relationship with, and trust in, John Oates.”
Hall’s account was filed in early November during arbitration and made public later in the month in the lawsuit. It alleges that Oates and his team engaged in the “ultimate partnership betrayal” by pushing to sell his share while telling Hall’s associates that he wanted to maintain his ownership.
Hall alleged that Oates in recent years has become “adversarial and aggressive instead of professional and courteous” toward him. Hall accused Oates of making business demands via a “revolving cast of lawyers.”
Hall said he would have never approved a sale to Primary Wave, and takes issue with its business model. Hall expressed concern about how his name and likeness and other assets could be used.
What was John Oates’ reply?
In his own declaration, Oates expressed disappointment with his longtime partner’s words, saying Hall’s accusations that Oates went behind his back and breached their agreement aren’t true. Oates declined to go into specifics, saying he’s obligated to keep details private, even if Hall didn’t.
Oates argued he had been trying for some time to enhance their business partnership, but Hall has become unwilling to work with him to protect what they created. He also said Hall has been trying for years to be seen as an individual.
