Mötley Crüe Declare “Decisive Victory” in Legal Battle with Ex-Guitarist Mick Mars

Mötley Crüe have declared themselves the victors in their legal battle with former guitarist Mick Mars, following a ruling by an arbitrator.

The Crüe’s attorney Sasha Frid of Miller Barondess, LLP, lauded “a decisive victory” and “a final arbitration award that rejects every claim Mars made against the band and orders him to pay damages back to the group.”

Get Mötley Crüe Tickets Here

“The arbitrator’s ruling not only vindicates the band contractually and financially but also dismantles the public narrative Mars promoted in interviews with major outlets,” stated Frid in a press release.

The arbitrator, the Honorable Patrick Walsh (Ret.), ruled that Mars forfeited any right to touring revenue when he chose to stop touring, a statute Mars himself reportedly wrote into the band’s governing agreement in 2008 that explicitly states that band members who stop touring no longer share in touring income.

As for Mars, the guitarist had demanded to continue receiving 25% of touring revenue in perpetuity despite his decision to retire from touring in 2022. According to Frid, the arbitrator rejected that position and upheld the band’s decision to terminate Mars as an officer and director for legal cause, ordering him to repay more than $750,000 in unrecouped tour advances. That resulted in a net-positive judgment in favor of Mötley Crüe.

Furthermore, Mars’ claims that the band played to pre-recorded tracks live was also debased following testimony from Mars’ own retained expert, a New York University professor specializing in music technology. After analyzing extensive performance footage, the expert confirmed that the band did in fact perform live, and Mars eventually admitted under oath that his claims were false.

“This dispute was about protecting the integrity and legacy of one of the most successful bands in rock history,” Frid said. “With the arbitrator rejecting every claim and enforcing the parties’ agreements as written, the band has been fully vindicated — legally, financially, and factually.”

Following the ruling, founding bassist Nikki Sixx took to Facebook with the three-word post (see below): “Finally the truth.”

Meanwhile, the dispute comes to a close as Mötley Crüe prep for their upcoming Summer 2026 North American tour. Dates kick off July 17th in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, and run through September 26th in Ridgefield, Washington. Get tickets here.