According to multiple sources, Mick Mars has filed a lawsuit against his bandmates in Mötley Crüe. Mars claims that the group's three other core members — Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee — have withheld information about the Crüe's business dealings (which Mars reportedly has a 25-percent ownership share in) while demanding he sign a severance agreement that would deprive Mars of future interests, in return for a five-percent stake in the band's 2023 tour.
Mars retired from touring with Mötley Crüe after the band's 2022 dates with Def Leppard, citing his ongoing battle with ankylosing spondylitis (A.S.), an inflammatory disease that causes the vertebrae in the spine to fuse. Mars was to remain a member of the band, but has been replaced in the live setting by longtime Rob Zombie guitarist John 5.
In the legal papers, as reported by Variety, Mars also accuses Sixx of "gaslighting" him for years about his guitar skills diminishing. Mars also claims the other three members of Mötley Crüe heavily relied on backing tracks during their most recent tour, while he allegedly played his parts live.
"Ironically, 100% of Sixx's bass parts were nothing but recordings," the legal paperwork reads. "Sixx was seen fist pumping in the air with his strumming hand, while the bass part was playing. In fact, a significant portion of [Vince] Neil's vocals were also pre-recorded. Even some of [Tommy] Lee's drum parts were recordings. Some fans actually noticed that Lee was walking toward his drum set as they heard his drum part begin."
Mars also alleges his departure from Mötley Crüe was decided after an emergency band meeting was struck and he was voted out. "When [Mars] did not go away quietly, they purported to fire him from six additional band corporations and LLCs," Mars' suit reads, according to Variety.
Mars' refusal to sign Crüe's severance agreement led to arbitration sessions. The new filing states Crüe wanted to avoid a public lawsuit "so that the public would not be aware of the deplorable manner in which they treated their 'brother' of 41 years."
