Mick Mars files lawsuit against Mötley Crüe and accuses three ex-bandmates of miming on stage

Mick Mars files lawsuit against Mötley Crüe and accuses three ex-bandmates of miming on stage

Something seemed fishy with guitarist Mick Mars‘ departure from Mötley Crüe back in late October 2022. A press release from the guitarist on October 26, 2022 indicated that due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.), he would no longer be able to tour with the band but would continue as a member of the group. A day later, Mötley Crüe issued a press release indicating that they accepted Mars‘ “decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health” while announcing that guitarist John 5 would be joining them moving forward. Mötley Crüe‘s press release gave the impression to some people that Mars was no longer part of the band.

Well, this appears to have only been the tip of the iceberg as Mars has filed a lawsuit against Mötley Crüe consisting of (according to Variety) a “verified petition for writ of mandate to compel inspection and copying of books, records and documents” held by a half-dozen businesses (Motley Crue Touring Inc., Motley Crue Inc., Red, White & Crue Inc., Masters 2000 Inc., Cruefest LLC, Motley Records LLC, Masters 2008 LLC and unnamed Does) that fall under the Mötley Crüe umbrella. The lawsuit was reportedly filed with the Los Angeles County’s Superior Court on Thursday through Mars’ attorney, Edwin F. McPherson.

Variety reports that Mars‘ lawsuit paperwork states:

“Over the years, this disease caused Mars’s lower spine to seize up and freeze completely solid, causing scoliosis in his back, and also compressing his spine downward, so that he is now at least three inches shorter than he was in high school. His spine is now completely seized from pelvis to skull, a condition known as ‘bamboo spine.’”

“How did Mars’s brothers of 41 years respond to Mars’s tragic announcement [about quitting the road]?”

“They noticed an emergency shareholders’ meeting for the band’s main corporate entity in order to throw Mars out of the band, to fire him as a director of the corporation, to fire him as an officer of the corporation, and to take away his shares of the corporation. When he did not go away quietly, they purported to fire him from six additional band corporations and LLCs.”

“During much of the band’s recent tenure, Sixx continually ‘gaslighted’ Mars by telling him that he (Mars) had some sort of cognitive dysfunction, and that his guitar playing was sub-par, claiming that Mars forgot chords, and sometimes started playing the wrong songs.”

“Astonishingly, Sixx made these claims about Mars’s playing while he (Sixx) did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour.”

“Ironically, 100% of Sixx’s bass parts were nothing but recordings. 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,” the paperwork contends.”

“Mars, at times on the tour, did play the wrong chords, but not due to any cognitive dysfunction,” it continues. “He was playing live, and his in-ear monitors were constantly malfunctioning, causing Mars to be unable to hear his own instrument. The fact is that Mars is rarely mocked or criticized online. He is a quiet member of the group, who shows up to play, and puts his heart and soul into each performance. Conversely, other band members are often criticized online, particularly Neil, who is routinely torn to shreds for, among other things, not remembering the songs.”

You can get more details about Mars‘ lawsuit and the events that led to it via Variety.