Daryl Hall sues longtime collaborator John Oates over contract dispute

In what represents a disappointing rift between members of a beloved pop duo responsible for a number of mega-hits from decades past, Daryl Hall has filed suit against his longtime collaborator, John Oates, as the Associated Press reports.

According to Hall, Oates' intention of selling his portion of a joint venture between the two would be in violation of a preexisting business agreement and should therefore be enjoined by the court.

As the AP notes, a judge in Nashville Chancery Court recently issued a temporary restraining order against Oates, ruling that he and anyone involved in his trust may not take steps to close a planned sale of shares in Whole Oats Enterprises LLP, at least until an arbitrator in a separate case delivers an opinion on the situation, or the order itself expires.

Variety further explains that few details of the lawsuit have been made publicly available, but in time, some additional information is expected to be revealed.

Though fans of the popular music act may be disappointed by the aforementioned legal wrangling, tension between the two stars is actually nothing new, as the New York Post reports.

Meeting all the way back in 1967, the Philadelphia musicians eventually became one of the biggest successes in the industry, notching eight platinum records and scoring with a series of chart-topping singles.

The pair ultimately achieved the title of the No. 1 selling musical duo in the history of American pop music, with 80 million in record sales spanning 21 album releases.

With that said, however, Hall and Oates as individuals have not always been in sync the way most fans might believe.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times back in 2022, Hall chafed at always having felt inextricably linked to Oates in the minds of those who enjoy their work.

“I don't like it. John and I call our touring company 'Two-Headed Monster,' because it is that. It's very annoying to be a duo, because people always say, 'Oh, you're the tall one, you're the short one. You're the one that sings, you're the one that doesn't sing,'” Hall said.

He went on, “You're always compared to the other person. It works with comedy entities, like Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello, but with music, it's f**ked up, actually.”

In that same interview, Hall seemed to indicate that any future creative collaboration alongside the man with whom he shot to fame was unlikely, saying, “I don't have any plans to work with John.”

Suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point in many ways, Hall said, “Perceptions changed, life changed, everything changed. I'm more interested in pursuing my own world. And so is John.”

Oates, for his part, appeared to be on the same page, saying in an interview with Big Take Over, “Daryl and I are pretty much finished touring. I don't foresee, and I never say never, but right now, I don't see any tours. And I think we both have grown apart professionally and personally,” a sentiment likely to prompt more than a few fans of the celebrated duo to offer a fitting musical lament of “Say it isn't so.”