The authorized battle between Journey’s Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain has added a brand new chapter, with Cain now following by way of with a countersuit in opposition to Schon, alleging that the guitarist ran up over a $1 million invoice on the band’s shared American Categorical Card and is breaching his fiduciary responsibility to the band’s company entity.
Information of the divide between Schon and Cain got here to gentle in November when Schon sued Cain over the band’s funds, alleging that he had been denied entry to the band’s monetary data and likewise alleging that Cain had arrange the band bank card with out telling him with “thousands and thousands of Journey funds” flowing by way of it.
Cain quickly countered with an announcement, revealing that he felt that Schon’s personal “reckless spending” was behind the authorized kerfuffle. “It is a matter that ought to have been resolved privately, however I’m compelled to publicly reply now to Neal’s malicious lies and private assaults on my household and I in an effort to garner public help for his ill-conceived lawsuit — a lawsuit that has completely no benefit,” mentioned Cain on the time, including, “Neal has all the time had entry to the bank card statements; what he lacks — and what he’s actually searching for — is the flexibility to extend his spending limits.”
Now, per Billboard, Cain has countered Schon’s swimsuit with one in every of his personal in opposition to the guitarist. Within the Jan. 13 submitting, he alleged that Schon racked up over $1 million in expenses on the band’s bank card, together with spending over $400,000 in a single month final yr. Cain filed his swimsuit in California state courtroom final week.
“Schon’s use of the [shared] AMEX card for private bills created severe liquidity issues for the band, because the AMEX steadiness needed to be paid each month, and there have been inadequate revenues to pay for different bills as Schon saddled Journey with over $1 million of his private bills,” Cain’s legal professionals wrote within the criticism.
In keeping with the swimsuit, Cain says that Schon demanded suites at a Hawaiian resort on the finish of a latest tour that price over $5,000 per night time, then stayed every week longer than vital. He additionally cited a invoice final March that exceeded $400,000 that got here from expenses at Bergdorf Goodman division retailer in New York Metropolis in addition to different retailers.
“Schon’s expenses positioned appreciable strain on Journey and its skill to cowl regular tour bills,” his legal professionals wrote. “Schon was spending Journey’s cash, and Cain is the one who was and is in the end answerable for the AMEX Account and Schon’s expenses on the AMEX Card.”
Cain is accusing Schon of breaching his fiduciary responsibility to the band’s shared company entity.
In an announcement to Billboard, Schon’s legal professional Skip Miller known as allegations “ridiculous” and “as phony as a 3 greenback invoice.” He mentioned the countersuit was merely “bitter grapes” after a latest incident through which Schon demanded that Cain cease enjoying occasions for former President Donald Trump. “We wish Cain to only deal with Journey and its followers,” Miller mentioned.
Because the preliminary lawsuit, Schon has made a number of extra allegations regarding Cain and his household in regard to the monetary dispute. Among the many most up-to-date was that Cain’s spouse, Paula White-Cain, had unlawfully accessed the band’s monetary account with out Schon’s consent.
Schon had additionally filed a cease-and-desist in opposition to Cain after the musician joined in a sing-along of “Do not Cease Believin'” with a number of right-wing politicians at a celebration at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property.
Regardless of the authorized drama behind the scenes, Journey will reportedly hit the street with Schon and Cain for his or her fiftieth anniversary tour. Cain not too long ago shared that he can be “hitting the street with Journey.” This got here as Schon was championing a return of the band’s unique keyboardist, Gregg Rolie, for the fiftieth anniversary tour. Nevertheless it was not too long ago revealed that Rolie’s return was being met with resistance from two members of the band.
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