More details have been revealed about the legal battle between Hall & Oates that came to light last week, with a proposed deal with Primary Wave at the heart of the dispute.
According to the Associated Press, Daryl Hall filed legal proceedings earlier this month in a bid to halt a deal that would see his musical collaborator John Oates sell his share in a joint venture business to Primary Wave, which already has an interest in the duo's music rights.
Hall seemingly kickstarted an arbitration process against Oates on 9 Nov to address the dispute over the Primary Wave deal, but was told that said deal could close within days. To that end he sought a court order blocking any transaction pending the arbitration and other legal proceedings. That order was quickly issued by the court.
The lawsuit filed by Hall was initially sealed, with his lawyer arguing that the legal action related to an agreement with confidential terms and a confidential arbitration process, and therefore the specifics of the dispute should be kept secret.
Although more information about the legal battle has been made public, details about Hall and Oates' business partnership in the company Whole Oats Enterprises LLP, and the deal that would see Oates sell his shares to Primary Wave, remain sealed.
However, we do know that Hall is claiming that Oates’ team has entered into a letter of intent with Primary Wave which makes it clear that the music company has knowledge of terms in the duo's business agreement, which allegedly breaches the confidentiality provisions of that agreement.
“Thus, the entire unauthorised transaction is the product of an indisputable breach of contract”, Hall's lawsuit concludes. A court hearing to consider the case is set for 30 Nov.