Why One Mötley Crüe Member is Suing the Band

The band's longtime guitarist accuses his bandmates of gaslighting him and kicking him out of the group.

Mick Mars, a founding member and longtime guitarist for Mötley Crüe, has officially filed a lawsuit against his bandmates, who he says attempted to oust him from the group.

According to documents obtained by PEOPLE, the suit, filed Thursday, Apr. 6 in Los Angeles' Superior Court, accuses the heavy metal band and their touring companies of trying to push Mars out and cut him off from the band's future profits after he decided to stop touring in September 2022 due to his health.

"After 41 years as a founding member of the band Mötley Crüe, Petitioner Mick Mars, the lead guitar player and backing vocalist for the band, announced that, due to his horrifically debilitating ankylosing spondylitis, he could no longer tour with the band," read the suit.

It continued, "He made it clear, however, that he could still perform with them in a residency situation, could still record with them, and could definitely still be a part of the band, but that he just could no longer physically handle the rigors of the road."

The lawsuit then accused Mars' bandmates: Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee of attempting to "throw Mars out of the band, fire him as a director of the corporation, fire him as an officer of the corporation and take away his shares of the corporation." It went on to say that Mars didn't "go away quietly," prompting him to be fired from six additional band corporations and LLCs for which the profits are split evenly among the band members.

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Mars, 71, made specific claims about Sixx, 64, in the docs, stating that the rocker "gaslighted" him by telling him his guitar skills were "subpar" as a result of his illness.

"Sixx's gaslighting came to a crescendo during the stadium tour, when he, knowing that this was Mars's last tour as a result of his increasingly painful and debilitating AS, and apparently already plotting to force him out of the band and take his shares, repeatedly told Mars that he was playing the wrong chords, and that fans were complaining about his playing," the docs read.

"Astonishingly, Sixx made these claims about Mars's playing while he [Sixx] did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour," the suit continued. "Ironically, 100% of Sixx's bass parts were nothing but recordings. Sixx was seen fist pumping in the air with his strumming hand, while the bass part was playing."

Following the news of the suit, the band issued a statement via litigation attorney Sasha Frid, who claimed that Mars "publicly resigned" from the band following stadium dates in 2022, per Variety. "Despite the fact that the band did not owe Mick anything—and with Mick owing the band millions in advances that he did not pay back—the band offered Mick a generous compensation package to honor his career with the band. Manipulated by his manager and lawyer, Mick refused and chose to file this ugly public lawsuit."

Sixx also spoke out to call the situation a "sad day" for the band, writing via Twitter, "we don't deserve this considering how many years we've been propping him up."

Nevertheless, he still added well wishes for Mars, writing, "We still wish him the best and hope he find's lawyers and managers who aren't damaging him," he added. "We love you Mick."

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