"You Can't Rely on the Old Music's Money." The Hall & Oates Legal Battle Explained-ish. Plus Housekeeping!

A Secretive Legal Battle is Going on Between the Duo, But Here is What We Can Learn.

Housekeeping

Welcome back to Hot Dockets! As readers may know, I just started with a new law firm, Farrar & Ball. I am now a full-time plaintiff’s attorney specializing in products liability, medical devices, major med mal, tire defects, and defamation. Essentially if someone is badly injured unlawfully, then I can help!

My schedule became a bit hectic as I got into the groove of the new firm, so I have not been able to update Hot Dockets as much as I wanted. However, now I have more of the hang of things, and I have a new writing schedule! I want to thank my subscribers for hanging in there with me while I figure all of this out. Paid subscriptions still really help me out as I have had a few unexpected expenses, and I still am hoping to launch my podcast that keeps being delayed due to those expenses. I am not quite the rainmaker at the firm that I hope to one day be, so every bit helps. If you cannot or do not want to upgrade to a paid subscription, then that is completely fine too! You do whatever works best for you! Now onto the content!

Photo by Matthew Moloney on Unsplash

Like A Bridge Over Troubling Transactions

On November 17, 2023 (only a mere week before Thanksgiving in the US for foreign readers), Daryl Hall sued his longtime partner, John Oates, along with two co-trustees of The John W. Oates TISA Trust, Aimee Oates and Richard Flynn. Hall & Oates are well-known worldwide for their multiple hits including, “Rich Girl” and “Maneater.” However, the duo is now fighting in court.

Most of the record in the case is under seal including the complaint itself, so the complete reasons and the finer details in the suit are murky. However, a few details can still be learned.

For one, this lawsuit was filed in Tennessee Chancery Court in Nashville. Most states do not have a chancery court, but luckily the state where I attended law school had a chancery court system, so I will explain. The chancery court system comes from English common law. Courts of chancery were established to issue decisions based more on “equity” or “what is fair” rather than what could result in harsh and unfair judgments from how the law was typically applied under common law. Principles of law still guide chancery courts, but you typically will find that there are factor tests and things that must be considered by a chancellor (chancery court judge) in making a decision, rather than a black and white rule. Also, a chancellor is typically not going to be overruled by an appellate court unless the chancellor “abused his discretion,” or in modern parlance “did something out of control and wild,” such as not following any required factor tests in a decision. (You can read more about the history of chancery courts here!)