Coldplay is officially counter suing their former manager Dave Holmes for $17 million. The former manager previously filed suit against the band just a short while ago, but the group is filing back.
Dave Homes, who managed Coldplay for over 20 years before quietly parting ways last year, filed legal paperwork saying the band owes him millions of dollars in unpaid commission. Chris Martin and bandmates though don’t agree with these claims and have counter sued in what could be a nasty legal battle.
Dave Holmes had deep involvement with the band for nearly two decades before filing his claim in London’s High Court. According to legal letters, Coldplay threatened to filed a “significant counterclaim” along with any defense, which they have now followed through with.
The band accuses their former manager of allowing their Music of the Spheres tour to spiral out of control. The band cited $10 million spent on bespoke stage pylons that were unusable and even a screen they claim was too big. Overall they are seeing $17 million in damages.
The countersuit also claims that Homes borrowed nearly $20 million from tour promoter Live Nation which he used to fund a property development in Canada.The filing claims it can be inferred that Holmes “was only able to acquire” substational loans due to his position as the manager of Coldplay.
As of late, a representative for Holmes told the Sunday Times that “Coldplay know they are in trouble with their defense.”
A representative also went on to mention, “Accusing Dave Holmes of non-existent ethical lapses and other made-up misconduct will not deflect from the real issue at hand — Coldplay had a contract with Dave, they are refusing to honour it and they need to pay Dave what they owe him.”
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Holmes is also accusing Coldplay of backing out of a contract regarding their next two albums and trying to demote him from manager to head of touring.
In regards to the latest news, Live Nation issued a statement saying that they have had a “strong and long standing relationship.”
The company went on to state, “Any past dealings with their management team were considered an extension of this relationship.”
Coldplay has yet to issue an official statement on the matter. As of late, the group has been on tour around the world with no signs of stopping their current shows.
