Cue the jokes about Hall & Oates being “Out of Touch”: Daryl Hall recently filed a lawsuit against longtime bandmate John Oates in Nashville Chancery Court. Additionally, Hall was granted a restraining order against Oates.
Details of the litigation, which was first pointed out by Axios reporter Nate Rau last week, are currently under seal. As reported by Philadelphia Magazine, the lawsuit was filed on Thursday, November 16th, and involves a dispute between the duo’s separate business trusts. Hall’s The Daryl Hall Revocable Trust is suing Oates’ The John W. Oates TISA Trust and its co-trustee, his wife Aimee Oates.
Though the documents are sealed, we do have a few more details. The case type is “contract/debt,” and it was filed as a “verified complaint for preliminary relief in aid of arbitration” along with a request for a temporary restraining order and expedited proceedings. On the next day, the court granted a temporary restraining order to begin November 30th, according to Variety.
Consequence has reached out to representatives for Hall & Oates for comment.
Hall & Oates have been on and off over the past several decades, with each member taking time for solo endeavors. In 2017, they launched their own HoagieNation festival in Philadelphia, which was subsequently held in 2018 and 2021. However, the duo only played a handful of shows together as Hall & Oates last year and none in 2023.
Meanwhile, Hall spoke about why it’s “quite annoying” to be part of a duo in a 2022 interview with the Los Angeles Times. In addition, the singer said he didn’t have “any plans” to work with Oates on a new record. While Hall confirmed they were working on new music “before the pandemic,” he clarified, “Perceptions changed, life changed, everything changed. I’m more interested in pursuing my own world. And so is John.”
Several months later, Hall referred to Oates as his “business partner” and not his “creative partner” on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast. He continued, “We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me.”
Now, it appears that their relationship is irreparable.