Big Drum Thump

Drum and Drummer News and Photos

Category: Drum Lawsuits

  • Steve Gorman Is Going to Get Paid

    But we aren’t exactly sure how much. Drummer Gorman sued his former Black Crowes bandmates back in April for unpaid royalties. Explaining the lawsuit, Gorman said:

    “For more than five years, my attorneys and I have made repeated requests to review the Partnership’s books to confirm the accuracy of royalty payments and my share, but Chris and Rich have consistently ignored my rights [to do so].”

    Now the two sides have apparently closed in on a settlement, but the ink isn’t dry yet. Whatever the amount, we hope it keeps him in sticks and shiny new bangables for all his days.

    [via Ultimate Classic Rock. UCR is totally kick-ass by the way, so check them out if ’70s and ’80s and a smidge of ’90s rock is your thing.]

    I smile big ’cause my wallet shall be fat.

  • Bill Zildjian Wins Lawsuit Against Sabian Cymbals

    Bill Zildjian, son of Sabian founder Robert Zildjian, filed a lawsuit against his family and the cymbal company back in April, claiming that as a shareholder he was owed dividends. At the time, there was some talk that Sabian would be required to “wind up, dissolve and liquidate the company and assets as a whole” if necessary to pay up. That thankfully hasn’t come to pass, but a judge did recently rule against Sabian and award Bill $517,575 for dividends owed plus another $2,500 for court costs. No word yet on whether Sabian will appeal the judgment…or if Bill was invited over for Christmas dinner.

    Update: Bill Zildjian was also awarded five percent interest on the outstanding dividend payments, which amounts to another $200,000. Sabian is definitely appealing the ruling. The lawsuit will likely drag deep into next year and get much uglier because Bill is alleging that “his father Robert misuses company funds for personal expenses and that his brother Andy actively undermines his position and influence on the business. He also claims his father has ignored established business regulations and protocols so as to maintain complete control of Sabian Ltd.”

  • Alabama’s Drummer Is Sued…

    …to the tune of $202,670. That’s the amount the four other members of Alabama say drummer Mark Herndon was overpaid for merch sales in 2003. The suit is apparently a response to Herndon’s own demand for cash. He feels he’s owed $65,047 from an advance the group was paid against sales of the live CD The Last Stand.

    DC’s ill-informed and unrequested advice: play nice, fellas. The lawyers are going to eat up all the cash involved, and at the end of the litigious day, you’ll still just be pissed off and broke.

  • Sabian’s Family Squabble

    A family feud between the brothers Zildjian actually created the cymbal company Sabian way back in 1981, and now it looks like another family feud could possibly tear it apart. Bill Zildjian, son of Sabian founder Robert Zildjian, has filed a lawsuit claiming that his father and brother have mismanaged, misdirected, and mishandled millions of dollars in company funds. Unable to sell his shares without dad’s approval, Bill is looking to be bought out by the family or to be paid dividends with interest. Another alternative, according to the lawsuit, is to

    wind up, dissolve and liquidate the company and assets as a whole.

    Yikes. Not surprisingly, the company has denied the allegations and has requested that the suit be dismissed. An official statement should be coming soon.

    Lawsuits take eons, so there’s probably no need to run out and buy Meinl stock just yet. But if you got any cracked Sabians under warranty, you might just want to take care of those now.