Mötley Crüe has won a decisive victory against former guitarist, Mick Mars, resulting in a final arbitration award that rejects every claim Mars made against the band and orders him to pay damages back to the group. The arbitrator’s ruling not only vindicates the band contractually and financially but also dismantles the public narrative Mars promoted in interviews with major outlets.

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The arbitrator, the Honorable Patrick Walsh (Ret.), ruled entirely in favor of Mötley Crüe, confirming that Mars forfeited any right to touring revenue when he chose to stop touring—a rule Mars himself demanded and wrote into the band’s governing agreement in 2008. That amendment explicitly provides that any member who stops touring does not share in touring income.

Despite that agreement, Mars later demanded to continue receiving 25% of touring revenue in perpetuity while no longer performing. The arbitrator flatly rejected that position. The Final Award also upheld the band’s decision to terminate Mars as an officer and director for legal cause and ordered him to repay more than $750,000 in unrecouped tour advances. After accounting for the value of Mars’ shares, the final award results in a net judgment in favor of Mötley Crüe.

But the case carries broader significance beyond band business disputes.

While the arbitration was pending, Mars launched a public media campaign accusing the band of not playing live—claims he repeated under oath. Most notably, he asserted that Nikki Sixx’s bass and Tommy Lee’s drums were prerecorded, striking at the core of the band’s professional credibility.

Those accusations collapsed under scrutiny. Faced with extensive live performance recordings—and testimony from his own retained expert, a New York University professor specializing in music technology—Mars was forced to admit under oath that his statements were false. His expert confirmed that the band performed live, and Mars formally recanted his prior claims during sworn testimony.

According to Mötley Crüe’s lead counsel Sasha Frid of Miller Barondess, LLP: “This dispute was about protecting the integrity and legacy of one of the most successful bands in rock history. With the arbitrator rejecting every claim and enforcing the parties’ agreements as written, the band has been fully vindicated—legally, financially, and factually.”

Mötley Crüe has filed a Petition to confirm the Final Arbitration Award in Los Angeles County Superior Court (Mötley Crüe, Inc. v. Mick Mars, Case No. 26STCP00393).

About Sasha Frid:

Sasha Frid is a founding partner of Miller Barondess, LLP and leads the firm’s entertainment litigation practice. A seasoned trial lawyer with more than two decades of experience, he is known for securing major victories for entertainers, including music legends and record labels, in high-profile, high-stakes disputes, often under intense media scrutiny. A member of the Recording Academy® and a GRAMMY® voting member, he is widely regarded as a go-to litigator in the entertainment industry.

About Miller Barondess, LLP:

Miller Barondess, LLP is a Los Angeles-based trial and appellate firm representing plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes, high-profile cases across California and nationwide. Our experienced attorneys provide strategic counsel and courtroom excellence across diverse industries, including entertainment, sports, intellectual property, technology, cybersecurity, real estate, healthcare, consumer products, insurance, retail, environmental, securities, private equity, financial services, and government. Known for success in complex, bet-the-company litigation, clients and other firms turn to Miller Barondess when they need a powerhouse trial or appellate team.

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