Daryl Hall Files For Restraining Order Against John Oates In Legal Drama

Jazmin Tolliver
Updated ·3 min read
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The beloved band Hall & Oates best known for hits like “Rich Girl” and “Private Eyes” are involved in a mysterious legal rift.

Daryl Hall, 77, one half of the ’70s pop rock duo, is suing Oates, 75, but details involving the case are unclear as the case remains sealed, according to Variety.

Hall filed the lawsuit as well as a motion for a temporary restraining order on Nov. 16 in Nashville, Tennessee, court records show, as first reported by Philadelphia magazine.

In addition to the suit, the court officially issued Hall a temporary restraining order against Oates the following day set to begin Nov. 30.

The musician and his organization, The Daryl Hall Revocable Trust, is also suing Oates’ individual trust, The John W. Oates TISA Trust, and its co-trustees in the Nashville Chancery Court.

Representatives of Hall and Oates didn’t immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

Fans of the group on X didn’t waste any time reacting to the shocking news of the lawsuit.

Last year, Hall dished out some less than loving words about Oates while appearing on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast.

“You think John Oates is my partner? … He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner,” Hall told Maher.

He added at the time: “John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We are business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me.”

Hall then took a shot at Oates’ collaborative abilities, telling Maher that he singlehandedly “did all those [harmonies]” in their 1980 No. 1 hit “Kiss on My List,” which credits Oates only as a co-producer on the track.

“I did all those [harmonies],” Hall declared. “That’s all me.”

Hall and Oates have achieved global fame since dropping their first album, “Whole Oates,” in 1972.

Less than a decade later, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) proclaimed the five-time Grammy nominees as the most successful duo in rock history in 1984.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said the Recording Academy called Hall & Oates the most successful musical group in rock history. They were proclaimed the most successful duo.

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