Why Did Daryl Hall Sue John Oates? It’s a Bit Mysterious

The Gist:

• Daryl Hall is suing John Oates over a “business trust,” but many of the details of the lawsuit are still under seal.
• Aimee Oates and Richard Flynn have been listed as co-defendants in the case, and neither Daryl nor John has released any statement about it.
• Hall & Oates were one of the most popular acts of the 1980s, writing hits like “Maneater” and “Rich Girl.”

All is not well between Hall & Oates. News broke in November 2023 that Daryl Hall was suing John Oates. The two were once the driving force behind hits like “You Make My Dreams” and “Rich Girl,” but things seem to have soured in the relationship between them.

Following the news that Daryl was suing John, many wanted to learn more about the rift in their relationship, and understand what Daryl might be suing John over.

The news that Daryl was suing John first broke on Nov. 17, 2023, when an Axios Nashville reporter tweeted out that the two were locked in a “mysterious” lawsuit that was filed in Nashville Chancery Court. The reporter noted that “based on captions for the filings in the chancery clerk’s system, a business trust is at the center of the dispute.”

Additional reporting has unearthed more details, including that the case has been filed as a “contract/debt” case, and that summonses were issued to John Oates, Aimee Oates, and Richard Flynn. Richard and Aimee are listed as co-defendants and “Co-Trustee of the John W. Oates TISA Trust.”

Hall and Oates have been totally hush-hush as to what the lawsuit is over, and neither one of them has released a public statement about the case.

In the past, the two have discussed their relationship, and explained that they don’t actually have much in common.

“He was very different from me, I knew that right away,” Daryl said in a 1998 interview with the Independent. “I remember he was just a teenager but he had a mustache and short hair. He was a college wrestler, a sports jock, and I never really knew people who did that kind of stuff.”

“He was pretty much a straight arrow, and I was the opposite of that, I was just what you’d imagine a musician to be,” Daryl continued. In that same interview, Daryl said that the two were more like relatives than close friends.

John told Access Hollywood in 2017 about his relationship with Daryl, “It’s like having a brother. We tour a lot so we’re together a lot but we don’t necessarily socialize and hang out.” He also noted that they have a “great relationship.”

Because many of the details from the lawsuit have not been revealed, it’s unclear exactly what the dispute is over. Typically, though, people on great terms don’t sue one another.