Daryl Hall accused John Oates of committing the "ultimate partnership betrayal" by attempting to sell his share of the duo's joint venture. Hall said he was "blindsided" by the move and upset by the deterioration of his business relationship with Oates in a declaration filed on Nov. 29.
New details about the business dispute between Daryl Hall and John Oates were revealed in court documents filed on Wednesday.
Hall claimed he and Oates were in the midst of mediation for a potential "global divorce" that would separate the assets held by their joint company Whole Oats Enterprises, according to the new court documents obtained by the Associated Press and Rolling Stone. That process was reportedly thrown into disarray when Oates allegedly tried to sell his share of WOE to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC without consulting Hall. WOE holds the songwriting duo's joint trademarks, name and likeness rights, royalty income, and website and social media assets
Hall filed a lawsuit against Oates in Nashville on Nov. 16 and a judge granted a restraining order to temporarily halt the sale to Primary Wave the following day.
Oates described Hall's claims as "inflammatory, outlandish, and inaccurate" in his response filed later on Wednesday. "Over the years, Daryl has consistently and publicly been adamant about being perceived as an individual rather than as part of a duo or group," he said. "On this point I agree. I now must act with truthfulness and make decisions that are right for myself, my family, and my artistic future."
Primary Wave has already owned part of the Hall & Oates catalog for 15 years. Hall has spoken publicly about regretting that deal. He added that he doesn't approve of the company's business practices in the court documents filed on Wednesday.
"I have no intention of becoming partners with Primary Wave, and the Oates Trust cannot be permitted to thrust a new partner upon me in this outrageous fashion," he said.
Hall and Oates met in a Philadelphia elevator in 1967. They went on to become the most successful songwriting duo of all time. The pair has released six platinum-certified albums and several chart-topping singles.
"He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner," Hall said on an episode of Bill Maher's Club Random podcast last September. "John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We are business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me."
