Daryl Hall Sues John Oates: What to Know

The blue-eyed soul duo are at odds, with Hall saying Oates has broken their trust.

By Andrew Roberts

Daryl Hall and John Oates don't seem poised to make beautiful music together anytime soon. According to Deadline, Hall has sued his longtime musical cohort and was awarded a restraining order against the formerly mustached musician in the process.

As Deadline reported at the time, the documents regarding the details of the lawsuit were sealed due to it being a contract/debt matter. But much more has come to light since the initial reports. According to the AP, Hall said in his court declaration that his longtime bandmate committed the "ultimate partnership betrayal" by trying to share his part of the duo's venture without Hall's permission.

Hall also noted the "deterioration" of their friendship and partnership, making some bold claims about Oates. "While falsely contending over the last several months that the Oates Trust wanted to maintain ownership in WOE, John Oates and the Co-Trustees engaged in the ultimate partnership betrayal," Hall's filing reads. "They surreptitiously sought to sell half of the WOE assets without obtaining my written approval."

Oates argues that the restraining order stopping his attempted sale shouldn't be extended, while also noting that Hall has long maintained they are separate in their music ventures. "Over the years, Daryl has consistently and publicly been adamant about being perceived as an individual rather than as part of a duo or group. Thus, he has insisted on our being known as 'Daryl Hall and John Oates,' rather than the more commonly known 'Hall & Oates,'" Oates wrote. "On this point I agree. I now must act with truthfulness and make decisions that are right for myself, my family, and my artistic future."

Hall maintains that he is against the proposed sale to Primary Wave Music, noting he doesn't agree with the company's business practices. He also says he was "blindsided" by the decision from Oates. "I am deeply troubled by the deterioration of my relationship with, and trust in, John Oates," Hall added. He also said Oates' timing with the sale news came during a moment "to create the most harm to me" by filing while he was touring out of the country.

He also adds that Oates has been "adversarial and aggressive" in recent years, leading to both discussing a "global divorce" that would lead to the end of their touring partnership and another partnership related to their music and publishing. Hall even discussed dissolving Whole Oats Enterprises fully.

The musical pair had been performing together as recently as 2021, following the end of the coronavirus pandemic. "We have this incredibly good problem of having so many hits," Oates said at the time. "Believe me, it's not a chore to play those songs because they are really great."

The group formed in 1970 in Philly, eventually ramping up to their peak starting in 1974 and on through the end of the '80s. But last year, some frays started to show publicly and Hall seemed reluctant to speak too much on the relationship.

"I don't have any plans to work with John. I mean, whatever. Time will tell," he told the Los Angeles Times in 2022. He added that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they had been recording together, but "perceptions change."

"Life changed, everything changed," Hall added. "I'm more interested in pursuing my own world. And so is John."

Hall continued with the cryptic details during an appearance on Bill Maher's podcast in 2022. "You think John Oates is my partner? ... He's my business partner. He's not my creative partner," Hall told the host."John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We are business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we've always been very separate, and that's a really important thing for me."

Despite the current attitudes and split, it is hard to deny the impact the duo had on their music. They have a bevy of singles on the Billboard charts, including six songs reaching the top of the Hot 100. This includes popular songs like "Rich Girl," "Kiss on my Lips," "Private Eyes," "Maneater" and "Out of Touch" to name a few.

Hall & Oates was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, following it with admission into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Despite the cold relationship today, the group has never officially broken up.

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