John Oates has filed a first-person declaration defending himself against accusations made by his longtime bandmate Daryl Hall.
Oates said he was “deeply hurt” by “inflammatory, outlandish, and inaccurate statements” aimed at him.
“Far from becoming ‘adversarial and aggressive instead of professional and courteous,’ as Daryl has claimed, over the last 50 years I have always devoted my energy to ensuring that both the public and the music industry perceive the Hall & Oates music and brand in the most positive light,” stated Oates, according to People.
While Oates acknowledged that the pair “have not seen eye to eye,” he argued that he has presented “opportunities to improve and protect the business and artistic integrity of the partnership”.
He continued: “In fact, Daryl has become unwilling to work with me to try to protect the marks and other intellectual property that we spent decades building”.
Oates added that Hall has “consistently and publicly been adamant about being perceived as an individual rather than as part of a duo or group,” and that therefore he must now “act with truthfulness and make decisions that are right for myself, my family, and my artistic future.”
Hall & Oates performing in Nashville in 2013.— (Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
Chancellor Russell Perkins temporarily extended the pause on the sale of Oates’ share of Whole Oats Enterprises LLP to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC while the estranged duo moves through the early stages of arbitration.
Whole Oats Enterprises LLP owns Hall & Oates trademarks, personal name and likeness rights, record royalty income and website and social media assets, according to a court declaration by Hall, who has described Oates’ planned sale as the “ultimate partnership betrayal”.
Christine Lepera, an attorney for Hall, said she hasn’t heard anything from Oates’ legal team indicating that there’s some urgency in closing the deal.
“You cannot sell half of a partnership to a third party without the other party’s consent, and that’s just intuitively correct,” Lepera said.
An attorney for Oates, Tim Warnock, said Hall’s claims that Oates went behind his back are untrue.
“Mr Oates proceeded exactly as he was allowed to proceed,” Warnock said, pointing the judge to their joint business agreement, which remains under seal in the case. “Mr Hall could have done the exact same thing himself.”
Additional reporting from The Associated Press
