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Slipknot’s dispute with former percussionist arrives in New York court
By Chris Cooke | Published on Wednesday 27 November 2019
The ongoing legal dispute between Slipknot and their former percussionist Chris Fehn was in court in New York yesterday. The focus was on whether or not the band’s business manager Robert Shore should also be a defendant on the lawsuit.
Fehn exited Slipknot earlier this year after two decades with the band. Shortly before his departure was confirmed, he sued his bandmates overly allegedly diverted monies.
He claims that he was previously led to believe that all of the band’s touring and merch income was channelled through one company which was then shared out between the members. However, earlier this year, he says, he discovered that some of his bandmates had set up other companies to receive some of this money, meaning he was denied his cut.
Business manager Shore is listed as a defendant on Fehn’s lawsuit, but has been busy trying to get himself removed from the litigation. Fehn argues that Shore and his company had fiduciary obligations to him personally, as well as to Slipknot as a group, and that he failed to meet said obligations when setting up systems that favoured other members of the band, depriving him of his share of all the money.
According to Metal Sucks, both sides presented their respective arguments regarding the liabilities, or not, of Shore in court yesterday. By the end of the proceedings it seemed that the judge had concluded that Shore should definitely not be listed as a defendant in a personal capacity. However, his company, Rob Shore & Associates, possibly should be.
The judge said that she’ll rule on whether RSA should remain as a defendant at the next scheduled hearing on 3 Jan next year. That session will also consider the band’s bid to get the case dismissed, partly on jurisdiction grounds, and partly on the basis that Fehn’s lawsuit fails to “state a cause of action”.
