Mick Mars has responded through his lawyer after Motley Crue‘s big win in their long-running legal battle. “The decision is awful,” attorney Ed McPherson says. “It’s not fair. This band has never been fair to Mick.”
The ailing guitarist sued Motley Crue after Mars left the road in 2022 amid his battle with ankylosing spondylitis, a degenerative bone disease. Mars initially said he would remain a member, but his former bandmates apparently had different ideas.
“When Mick said, ‘I can’t tour anymore because of a hideous disease, but I can still write, perform one-offs or residencies and record,’ they said, ‘Sorry Mick. It’s been 43 years, but you’re out. Goodbye, and we don’t want to pay you anymore,'” McPherson told Rolling Stone. “This arbitrator said it’s fine.”
Why Did Mick Mars Sue Motley Crue?
Mars filed suit in 2023, claiming to have been unilaterally dismissed after his percentage of band profits had been cut from 25% to 5%. A retired judge who’d been brought in as an arbitrator ruled this week that Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee and Vince Neil were within their rights to remove the guitarist as an officer and director of Motley Crue Inc. when he couldn’t continue to tour.
Motley Crue’s lawyer hailed their courtroom victory. “This dispute was about protecting the integrity and legacy of one of the most successful bands in rock history,” Sasha Frid said in an official statement. “With the arbitrator rejecting every claim and enforcing the parties’ agreements as written, the band has been fully vindicated — legally, financially, and factually.”
A classic-era photo of guitarist Mick Mars, right, with Motley Crue (Gary Leonard / Corbis via Getty Images)
Adding insult to injury, Mars was also ordered to repay $750,030 from an advance since he missed dozens of concerts. He was directed to to sell his ownership stake in the company to his bandmates for roughly $506,000, leaving about $244,000 left in debts.
“We need to figure out if we’re going to challenge” the decision, Mars’ attorney added. “It’s ridiculous. It’s just a question of whether he wants to keep pursuing this. Basically, he’s over Motley Crue.”
READ MORE: Top 50 Motley Crue Songs
At one point, Mars’ relationship with Motley Crue became so strained that they began hurling public insults. He even accused the band of miming onstage. In a news release, Motley Crue’s attorneys said the guitarist “was forced to admit under oath that his statements were false. His expert confirmed that the band performed live, and Mars formally recanted his prior claims during sworn testimony.”
They’d previously said Mars was being manipulated, even accusing his management of “elder abuse.” Mars, 74, was the oldest member of Motley Crue. He’s been replaced by John 5. Mars subsequently released a solo album, 2024’s The Other Side of Mars, and said he still has plans for new music.
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Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
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