Eighties English pop band, Culture Club are set to pay former drummer Jon Moss almost €2 million to end a legal battle after he claimed they «expelled» him.
The case was due to go to trial in a week’s time, but a published court order said the band had agreed to end the dispute.
Moss, a founding member of Culture Club, was allegedly “expelled” from the band in September 2018 by manager Paul Kemsley, after a 37-year career as the band’s drummer. He claimed he was owed €213,000 in lost income under the terms of a tour contract.
A six-day High Court trial in London would have assessed the value of the Culture Club name and Moss’ loss of potential earnings since 2018, as well as adjudicating on the contractual tour dispute and legal costs.
Singer Boy George, whose real name is George O’Dowd, guitarist Roy Hay and bassist Mikey Craig reached an agreement with him instead. As part of the settlement, Moss must not use the Culture Club name, including in connection with concerts and merchandise.
Culture Club found fame in 1982 with their UK No 1 ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me’. They had six more UK Top Five hits and six Top 10 hits in the US that decade, including the chart-topper ‘Karma Chameleon’.
The settlement is the latest chapter in a long-running feud between Moss and Boy George, who were romantic partners during the height of the band’s success.
George once referred to his relationship with Moss as the «creative force behind Culture Club.»
The band split in 1986 amid George’s struggle with drug use but reunited in 1998 and found success with their 1998 tour and album ‘Don’t Mind If I Do’. Moss has said he was fired during the Life Tour in 2018.
In 2020, the group said Moss was merely “taking a break” and “the door is always open” for him to return, but Moss had already launched a legal case against his bandmates. The drummer claimed he miss out on almost €185,000 in earnings.
Last year, Moss amended his legal challenge to include allegations that George «conspired to defraud» him over the Life Tour money, after tour funds were released to a company reportedly owned by George.
The singer claimed the allegation of fraud was a “personal attack” and “entirely untrue”.
