Sting is reportedly being sued by former Police bandmates for lost royalties
Sting is reportedly being sued by his former bandmates in The Police, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, over lost royalties which have driven the group apart.
It comes after years of legal rows between the trio, with Summers and Copeland accusing Sting, real name Gordon Sumner, of losing royalties from the band which were owed to them, now leading to the case set to take place at the High Court in London.
According to The Sun, Summers and Copeland are seeking “substantial” damages from the singer, allegedly which could amass to millions of pounds. A source told the newspaper: “Lawyers tried repeatedly to reach an out-of-court settlement but hit a stalemate,” hence the case now being listed for the High Court.
Sting has been issued a writ by his former bandmates, whom he split from in the mid-1980s following huge success as a group over the previous decade in a case that has been listed at the court under “general commercial contracts and arrangements”.
The musician is listed as his real name on the court documents, which also reveal that his publishing company, Magnetic Publishing Limited, is also being sued as part of the case.
Tensions between the members of The Police have been building for decades, even since they were still together as a band, as Copeland once said: “Looking back, I’m grateful that we got at least five albums, because, really, it was over after the third album. After Zenyatta Mondatta, which was the first time the tension started to appear, and by the time we got to Montserrat for Ghost in the Machine, it was hell on Earth.”
The exact details of the court case are not known at this time, and Sting nor Summers and Copeland have yet commented publicly on the matter.
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