David Lee Roth Pressing Forward With Lawsuit Against Van Halen
Former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth is continuing to move forward with his lawsuit against the band over unpaid royalties. Roth filed his suit on December 11 in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming the group didn’t include him in a 1996 renegotiation of its contract with Warner Brothers Records.
Roth said the result is a financial inequity. “If you buy Van Halen I now, if I make 10 cents, the bass player (Michael Anthony) makes 30 cents. And if I make a hundred dollars, the drummer (Alex Van Halen) will make close to three hundred dollars. And I’ve always maintained since I wrote all the words, and all the lyrics, and all of the harmonies, and structured the tunes, designed most of the album covers–and when MTV happened for everybody, I wrote and directed the videos–with all of that, I should make 25 percent. What do you think?”
Roth’s suit is still pending while both sides file legal briefs. Neither Van Halen Music LLC nor Warner Bros., who are co-defendants, would comment on the suit.
Roth left Van Halen in 1985 and was replaced by Sammy Hagar. Roth sang on the two new songs from the group’s 1996 Best Of Volume 1, but the reunion didn’t last.
Van Halen left Warner Bros. in 2001 and is currently without a label.
Roth’s new album, Diamond Dave, comes out July 8. It features cover versions of songs by the Beatles, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Savoy Brown, and Steve Miller.
Roth next performs Thursday (May 29) at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York.
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