Why Hall is suing Oates: Judge pauses sale of stake in joint venture

A judge has paused the sale of a joint venture between Daryl Hall and his longtime music partner, John Oates, after Hall argued that it would violate the terms of their business agreement.

The lawsuit filed on 16 November by Hall, 77, also named Oates’s wife, Aimee Oates, and Richard Flynn, both in their capacities as co-trustees of The John W Oates TISA Trust.

A day later, Hall was granted a temporary restraining order against Oates, 75, after a $50,000 restraining bond was obtained.

The judge wrote that Oates and others involved in his trust cannot move to close the sale of their share of Whole Oats Enterprises LLP to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC until an abritator in a separately filed case weighs in, or until the judge’s order expires, typically within 15 days.

Details of Hall’s lawsuit were initially kept completely under wraps. While many details about the duo’s private business agreement still remain confidential, an order by the judge filed on Wednesday 22 November allowed more filings to be made public.

It has still not been specified what is at stake in the sale, but Primary Wave has owned “significant interest” in the Hall and Oates song catalogue for more than 15 years.

Hall & Oates formed their pop R&B double act in 1970 and have released 18 studio albums, including their 1972 debut Whole Oats.

Those albums have produced a string of hit singles, including “Maneater”, “You Make My Dreams”, and “Rich Girl”. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014; their latest album, Home for Christmas, was released in 2006.

People Hall & Oates Lawsuit (AP2008)

Outside of Hall & Oates, the musicians have recorded a number of solo albums and toured as individuals.

TMZ noted that their relationship has been described by Hall as strictly professional: “You think John Oates is my partner?” he told Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast last year. “He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner.”

He continued: “John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We are business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me.”

Hall also diminished the collaborative nature of their work, claiming their No 1 hit “Kiss On My List”, released in 1980, was entirely his doing. Oates is listed as a co-producer on the track but is not credited as a songwriter.

“We have this incredibly good problem of having so many hits,” Oates told the Associated Press in 2021, just before resuming a national tour that was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Believe me, it’s not a chore to play those songs because they are really great.”

The lawsuit says that Oates’s team entered into a letter of intent with Primary Wave Music for the sale, and alleges that the letter makes it clear that Hall & Oates’s business agreement was disclosed to Primary Wave Music in violation of a confidentiality provision.

The lawsuit states: “Thus, the entire Unauthorised Transaction is the product of an indisputable breach of contract.”

A hearing has been scheduled for the morning of 30 November.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

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