Selling shares and losing trust: The story behind Hall and Oates’ bitter legal feud
Whenever there is tension in a band, there is usually a bitter rivalry that follows close behind. Hall and Oates are no exception.
After working together as a duo for decades and releasing a range of hits such as ‘Rich Girl’, ‘Maneater’, and ‘Kiss on My List’, the two stumbled upon legal trouble in the past couple of years. This legal battle essentially ended their professional working relationship, and it has made it unlikely the two will ever team up again. However, with the legal dispute apparently resolved, fans hold on to a glimmer of hope.
It’s worth noting that Hall and Oates have never formally broken up. The duo’s last studio album was in 2006, but there has never been a formal announcement that they are done making music. The closest that the band have ever come to confirming they are no longer together was the revelation of an ongoing legal feud between the two, which came out in 2023.
Daryl Hall filed the lawsuit against John Oates. As is usually the case with bands, they have limited companies that are responsible for a plethora of their rights, such as trademarks, products and songs. Hall and Oates are no different, as their organisation, Whole Oats Enterprises LLP, looks after plenty of valuable material for the band. Both members own sufficient shares in the company, which allows them to make executive decisions on how material is used. Oates attempted to sell his shares to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC, which resulted in the ongoing legal battle we know today.
If the sale of these shares was successful, it would essentially mean that an outsider party would have a say in how Hall and Oates material is used. Uncomfortable with this idea, Daryl Hall filed the lawsuit to try to stop the sale from going through.
The judge paused the sale of shares while the legal dispute was ongoing. In November 2023, Hall made everything that had happened in the build-up to this attempted selling of shares public, which made for incredibly difficult reading for any fan of the band. Hall admitted that Oates and his team had confirmed they were maintaining ownership of the shares, while going behind his fellow bandmates’ backs in a bid to sell. Hall referred to this act as the “ultimate partnership betrayal“.
Of course, Oates denies all that Hall is saying, affirming that communication between the two was limited and that he didn’t go behind his bandmates’ backs. He refused to go public with the details, saying that he was obligated to keep the details private, even if Hall had refused to do so.
Many of these legal debates between band members get dragged out, becoming public and bitter in the process. Disputes between the likes of Kiss, Pink Floyd and The Smiths became headline-worthy for years. The same cannot be said for Hall and Oates; except for the public filing of the lawsuit and Hall’s willingness to reveal the details behind why he had filed it, the rest of the dispute has happened behind closed doors.
True to this trend, it has recently been confirmed that the two have resolved their dispute behind closed doors. A court filing published on Monday states that lawyers entered a final judgment. The case didn’t make it to court, as it was resolved through arbitration.
What was the outcome? Well, here’s the anti-climax: we don’t know. While the court documents say that an agreement was reached through arbitration, the details of said arbitration remain private. As such, we don’t know whether Oates will be selling his shares in the company.
It’s worth noting that sales like this are usually public, so fans will have a clearer idea of what happened in the weeks and months to come, as they wait to see if a sale of the shares in Whole Oats Enterprises LLP goes through.
It feels somewhat anticlimactic that full details of the resolved case aren’t yet available. One of the most important factors that fans want to know is whether they can expect new music or performances from the group. All of that remains unclear, and the specifics are shrouded in secrecy. However, if what Oates had said during the legal proceedings was anything to go by, fans shouldn’t expect anything from the duo for some time.
“I personally don’t see it happening. It’s not in my plans at all,” said Oates. “You can ask Daryl Hall what he thinks. But for me personally, no.”
Hall agreed, concluding, “That ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean […] I’ve had a lot of surprises in my life, disappointments, betrayals, so I’m kind of used to it.”
