Daryl Hall is suing John Oates for plans to sell share in joint venture

Daryl Hall is suing John Oates for his plans to sell his share of a joint venture.

On November 17, it was revealed that Hall was granted a restraining order against his longtime former musical partner. Whilst many of the details were kept under seal, a reporter suggested that “based on captions for the filings in the chancery clerk’s system, a business trust is at the center of the dispute.”

Today, AP News has given more information about the lawsuit, revealing that Hall & Oates have a joint venture and Oates intended to sell his share to a company called Primary Wave. Hall contended that the sale of Oates’ share would violate the business terms the duo had agreed upon. Hall & Oates have been approached for comment.

In response, a judge temporarily blocked the sale and granted the temporary restraining order on November 16. Legal proceedings and a previously initiated arbitration are still continuing.

Many details about the case are still sealed, with Hall’s attorneys arguing that the lawsuit is a private dispute under an agreement with confidential terms, which needs a confidential artbitration case. The case will be taken up at a court hearing on November 30.

Primary Wave has previously owned “significant interest” in Hall & Oates’ catalogue for more than 15 years. Hall apparently alluded to his own disappointment in a 2021 interview: “Oh, in the early days, it got sold off for me and I didn’t get the money,” he said. In the same interview, he also told artists to retain their publishing rights: “all you have is that.”

Daryl Hall and John Oates are known as the musical duo Hall & Oates. The two met in a lift at the Adelphi Ballroom back in 1967, and came together to form Hall & Oates. Over their career, they have released 29 Top 40 hits as well as eight platinum albums, and are best known for iconic hits such as ‘I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)’, ‘You Make My Dreams’, ‘Maneater’, ‘Rich Girl’, ‘Private Eyes’ and ‘Kiss On My List’.

In 1985, Rolling Stone described their relationship as “strange” with journalist Lynn Hirschberg writing Hall and Oates “are a cross between business partners and brothers. Hall doesn’t seem to really like Oates, and Oates seems removed, even distant, from the entire Hall and Oates organization.”

In 2014, Hall indicated that the relationship was “fine”, telling The Guardian: “We get along just fine. We weren’t — and aren’t — very much alike: we have different interests. But the differences aren’t important, what’s important is what we share — and that’s music.”

Oates also said: “Daryl and I are more like brothers than actual friends. We’re very different as people, but we have this incredibly strong musical bond. He is creatively unsatisfied and that drives him forward. He’s very smart, and, in my opinion, has one of the greatest popular voices of all time.”

Elsewhere, back in July, Hall performed at the 2023 BST Hyde Park festival this summer, as opening support for special guest headliner Billy Joel.