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Mötley Crüe have won their legal battle with former guitarist Mick Mars.
On Thursday, January 29, a court ruled that band members Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and Tommy Lee would be allowed to remove the founding members as officers and directors for business reasons, Rolling Stone and Variety reported.
The alleged elimination came after he withdrew from the U.S. Stadium Tour in September 2022 due to a chronic condition called ankylosing spondylitis, according to an April 2023 filing previously obtained by PEOPLE. Maas, 74, was diagnosed with a spinal condition at the age of 27.
Former federal judge Patrick J. Walsh ruled in final arbitration on Thursday, January 29, that Sixx, Lee and Neal had the right to remove Mars as both a band member and an executive.
“Mr. Mars maintains that it is immoral for him, who has formed the backbone of the group for more than 40 years, to be thrown out simply because he is unable to perform due to his age and AS symptoms,” Variety reported. “While I am not unsympathetic to this argument, it is not for me to weigh in on the morality of the band’s decision in the context of this arbitration.”
The court also ruled that Mars owed $750,030 in advance payments to his former bandmates for missing 69 live shows, according to the documents. However, his three bandmates owe him just over $505,737 for their stake in the band. As a result, Mars was ordered to pay the band $244,000.
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“This dispute was about protecting the integrity and legacy of one of the most successful bands in rock history,” Sasha Frid, the band’s attorney, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
“With the arbitrator rejecting all claims and enforcing the parties’ agreement as written, Band is fully vindicated legally, economically and factually,” Fried said.
Meanwhile, Mars’ attorney Ed McPherson called the decision “terrible,” Rolling Stone reported.
“It’s not fair. This band was never fair to Mick,” McPherson said. “When Mick told me I couldn’t tour anymore because of a terrible illness, they said I could still write songs, play one-off shows and residencies, and record. They said, ‘Sorry, Mick. It’s been 43 years and you’ve called it quits. Goodbye, and we don’t want to pay you anymore.'”
“This arbitrator said okay. We’ll have to see if we appeal (the decision) or not. It’s ridiculous. It’s just a question of whether he continues to pursue this or not,” McPherson said of the team’s next steps. “Basically, he’s more than Motley Crue.”
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During the initial application, Mars also told Variety that his bandmates would perform pre-recorded songs on their 2022 tour. “Nicki’s bass was 100% recorded,” Variety reported.
Sixx, 64, denied Mars’ accusations at the time, saying the pre-recorded track was meant to cover up Mars’ guitar playing, Rolling Stone reported.
Following the allegations, in arbitration, “Mars was forced to admit under oath that his statements were false. His experts confirmed that the band performed live, and Mars formally recanted his previous claims in sworn testimony,” the band’s lawyers announced on Thursday, January 29.
People has reached out to Motley Crue’s representatives and Mars’ attorneys and representatives for comment.
