Daryl Hall Is Suing John Oates, Files a Restraining Order

Say it isn't so! Daryl Hall of the pop-rock duo Hall & Oates is suing his former bandmate John Oates over a claim having to do with breach of contract. And things have apparently gotten so acrimonious that Hall has also successfully filed a restraining order against Oates.

TMZ broke the news of the lawsuit, and although the court documents are sealed the outlet was able to ascertain from the docket that Hall and Oates had been in arbitration over some kind of dispute. It's likely that both band members have their own contracts, which is typical of the music industry, and it appears that Hall is accusing Oates of violating those agreements.

Possible reasons for the violation of contract could be anything from a division of royalties to Oates singing their songs in solo acts. Though, TMZ points out that both Hall and Oates have individually been performing solo on and off for years. Given that Hall was generally the lead vocalist of the group, it's possible that he can't go for that (no can do) when it comes to Oates picking up the mic.

Hall then took things to the next level by filing the restraining order against his former partner at Nashville Chancery Court last Friday, which the judge granted. However, it's unclear on what grounds the order was filed.

Last year, Oates appeared on the Club Random with Bill Maher podcast, hosted by Men's Journal, during which he seemingly foreshadowed the lawsuit by calling Oates his "business partner" and not his "creative partner." Considering that the duo cowrote most of their songs together, whether separately or in collaboration, the dig now seems telling, to say the least.