After guitarist Mick Mars filed a lawsuit against the band, claiming he was wrongfully dismissed, the Mötley Crüe civil war has continued to rage.
Mars' attorneys said the band intended "to fire him as a director of the corporation, to fire him as an officer of the corporation, and to take away his shares of the corporation" in the 29-page lawsuit, which was filed April 6 in Los Angeles.
In a statement, attorney Ed McPherson said, "It is beyond sad that, after 41 years together, a band would try to kick out a member who is no longer able to tour due to a debilitating disease."
Mötley Crüe responded to the lawsuit with a statement to USA TODAY on Saturday, saying they did everything to defend Mars during their most recent tour, when he struggled to remember chords, frequently played the wrong song, and made other mistakes that caused him to leave the group.
Mötley Crüe said in October that Mars, 71, had decided to retire for health-related reasons prior to the lawsuit. Since he was 27, the musician has battled ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory condition that affects the spine.
The group stated, "We have watched Mick manage his ankylosing spondylitis for decades and he has always managed it with the utmost courage and grace." "The ultimate act of courage is to say 'enough is enough.
The group announced that it would "carry out Mick's wish" by going forward with its 2023 tour and replacing guitarist Mars with John 5.
On the other hand, according to Mars' lawsuit, the guitarist "made it very clear that he was not retiring, and that he would make himself readily available for recording," residencies in Las Vegas or other places, "and any other band-related activities."
Mars described the band's offer to pay him severance during an interview with Variety that was published on April 6 as "an insult." According to the source, Mötley Crüe promised Mars 7.5% of the tour's revenue in exchange for his giving up any future stakes in the group's businesses.
"I'm not doing that," Mars remarked to Variety. The fact that they want to harass me into leaving the band essentially so that the last man standing gets everything just really irritates me.