We’ve seen lawsuits erupt about bands carrying on with or without certain members – most recently with 90s-era stalwarts Live– but this lawsuit takes the cake for sheer perplexity. I mean, look at that headline for crying out loud… and yet it’s exactly true.
John Geils, the namesake and founder of chart-topping bluesy-rockers the J.Geils Band (see “Freeze Frame,” “Love Stinks,” “Centerfold”) has filed a lawsuit against members Richard Salwitz, Danny Klein, Peter Wolf and Seth Justman over a planned tour under the band name that wouldn’t include him, according to Reuters.
The lawsuit reportedly claims the quartet "planned and conspired" to hit the road without Geils himself and he wants the full rights to the trademark. The Geils-less group's 11-date tour, now in question, is scheduled to kick off August 25, according to Billboard.
"They do not have the right to take his name and use it, and try to deny him the right to use his own name," Geils' attorney, Charles Grimes, is quoted as telling Reuters.
The other members' lawyer, James Weinberger, said Geils' claims will be addressed "at the appropriate time."
