TOMMY LEE Says He Has Nothing To Do With MÖTLEY CRÜE Lawsuit
June 20, 2007MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee's attorney Barbara Berkowitz has issued the following statement in regard to the lawsuit filed by the band against Lee's manager Carl Stubner and companies he is associated with:
"I am general counsel for Tommy Lee. Tommy Lee is not an individual participant in the lawsuit filed Monday by the corporation, Motley Crue, Inc. against Lee's personal manager, Carl Stubner and Sanctuary Management. Mr. Stubner and Sanctuary do not manage MÖTLEY CRÜE, however they continue to represent Tommy Lee personally.
"Mr. Lee was neither consulted regarding this matter nor authorized the lawsuit. Mr. Lee has not made any allegations against his current personal manager. Mr. Lee feels fortunate to have been part of the MÖTLEY reunion tour, as well as other opportunities outside of MÖTLEY CRÜE over the past several years. It is unfortunate that others believe that they all could have made more money had Mr. Lee exclusively participated in the band that he co-founded in 1980. However, Mr. Lee is a versatile artist, and is grateful that he participated in other projects as well."
In the lawsuit, filed Monday (June 18) in Los Angeles County Superior Court, members of the band through Motley Crue Inc., claim Stubner forced Tommy Lee to "to become engaged in 'reality' projects that were bad career moves for Lee, harming [Sixx, Mars, Neil and Lee], the MÖTLEY CRÜE brand and Lee's own image." According to TMZ.com, the suit calls the low-rated NBC show "Tommy Lee Goes to College" a "critical disappointment and a ratings disaster," adding it painted Lee as "incoherent, lazy and incompetent" and made him "look like a laughing stock who could not carry a drum beat." The suit also claims Lee's participation on "Rock Star: Supernova" "diminished the public's interest in Lee and their overall perception of his musical talents."
Because Lee was so busy doing reality TV, the band says he was unavailable to tour with the CRÜE, thus causing the cancellation of several key concert dates. The band claims that they lost $8 million in ticket and merchandise revenue because of Lee's scheduling conflicts. The band claims these conflicts were "both real and concocted" by Stubner to "leverage his control over Lee to his financial advantage and to MÖTLEY CRÜE and Lee's detriment."
Comments Disclaimer And Information