John Oates declares he’s ‘deeply hurt’ over Daryl Hall lawsuit — as lawyers battle in court
John Oates has filed a first-person declaration defending himself after his longtime music partner and one-half of Hall & Oates, Daryl Hall, has accused him of trying to sell his part of their music rights.“Far from becoming ‘adversarial and aggressive instead of professional and courteous,’ as Daryl has claimed, over the last 50 years I have always devoted my energy to ensuring that both the public and the music industry perceive the Hall & Oates music and brand in the most positive light,” Oates, 75, said in his court documents, obtained by Billboard.Oates claims that the pair “have not seen eye to eye,” but he has presented “opportunities to improve and protect the business and artistic integrity of the partnership.”“In fact, Daryl has become unwilling to work with me to try to protect the marks and other intellectual property that we spent decades building,” he continued to allege.“[Just Hall has] consistently and publicly been adamant about being perceived as an individual rather than as part of a duo or group,” he went on,” and “now [I] must act with truthfulness and make decisions that are right for myself, my family, and my artistic future.”On Nov. 16, Hall, 77, and his organization, the Daryl Hall Revocable Trust, filed an initial lawsuit against Oates’ trust, the John W.