Hall & Oates Business Sale Put on Hold After Judge’s Ruling
A judge has decided to keep a planned business sale on hold while rock bandmates Daryl Hall and John Oates work out an agreement.
The temporary injunction in a lawsuit filed by Hall blocks Oates from selling his share of Whole Oats Enterprises until an arbitrator weighs in, or until Feb. 17. The sale has been paused while an arbitrator settles the dispute between the members of the band Hall & Oates.
Neither Hall nor Oates appeared in court on Thursday, with lawyers arguing on their behalf over the guitarist’s decision to sell half of his share in Whole Oats Enterprises to Primary Wave Music.
“You cannot sell half of a partnership to a third party without the other party’s consent, and that’s just intuitively correct,” said Christine Lepera, an attorney for Hall, in court.
An attorney for Oates, Tim Warnock, rebutted Hall’s claims that Oates went behind his back, pointing to their joint business agreement, which remains under seal in the case.
Hall has accused Oates of the “ultimate partnership betrayal” in court documents filed, stating that his bandmate attempted to sell his share of a joint business venture without permission from Hall.
After trying to begin arbitration on Nov. 9, Hall filed a separate lawsuit and requested a temporary restraining order to keep Oates from selling his share in Whole Oats Enterprises. The business venture is managed by both musicians.
The legal battle began on Nov. 16 when Hall sued Oates in Nashville. The lawsuit is sealed by court order but is listed under the category of contract/debt. The temporary restraining order was granted on Nov. 24.
The two men formed the pop-rock band Hall & Oates in the 1970s and have since released 18 studio albums, scoring six No. 1 singles. Hall made it clear there was a separation between him and Oates in a 2022 interview, stating that while they are business partners, they are not creative partners.
An arbitrator has since been chosen to settle the dispute, lawyers for both musicians said in court on Thursday.