Daryl Hall Sues John Oates, Gets Restraining Order
In news that is surprising and shocking to fans of the legendary duo Hall and Oates, Daryl Hall is suing John Oates and has a restraining order against him, according to Variety.
Not much is known about the lawsuit, as the court documents are sealed. Variety reports that, based on court records, Hall filed an undisclosed complaint against Oates on November 16, as well as a motion for a temporary restraining order. The following day, the court officially issued a temporary restraining order to begin November 30.
CBS News notes that Oates and his co-defendants – his wife, Aimee J. Oates, and business manager Richard Flynn, who are both co-trustees of his trust – were served on November 20. It is unclear what prompted the restraining order, but it is labeled as a Contract/Debt case on the website for the Nashville Chancery Court.
The Bill Maher Interview
In an oft-cited interview with Bill Maher, Daryl Hall threw some shade at his bandmate. When Maher mentioned Hall’s “partner,” Hall countered, “I don’t have a partner! You think John Oates is my partner? He’s not my partner.” He then clarified, “He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner. John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We made records called ‘Hall and Oates’ together, but we’ve always been very separate. And it’s a really important thing for me.”
Hall continued by explaining that, for example, on the song “Kiss On My List,” “that’s all me. That’s a Daryl demo.” Maher asks, “But that’s not the rule,” insinuating that this was an exception and that the duo usually worked in tandem. Hall responds, “I won’t go any farther than that.”
In a recent interview with the L.A.Times, Hall said that the duo were actually considering doing a new album before COVID hit. But, “perceptions changed, life changed, everything changed. I’m more interested in pursuing my own world. And so is John.” Their last album together was 2006’s Home For Christmas. The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
According to USA Today, a hearing has been scheduled for the morning of November 30.