Daryl Hall and John Oates, best known for releasing music as the duo Hall & Oates, are currently embroiled in a legal battle.
As reported by Philadelphia Magazine, Hall filed an undisclosed complaint against his former bandmate Oates on Nov. 16, alongside a motion for a temporary restraining order. The lawsuit was filed in the Nashville Chancery Court, which has since granted a restraining order that will start on Nov. 30. The details of the lawsuit remain relatively scarce, however; the Nashville Chancery Court has only confirmed its existence.
While it's unclear what led to their falling out, Hall did openly criticize Oates during an appearance on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast last year. As pointed out by TMZ, he said, "You think John Oates is my partner? … He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner.” He later described Oates as his "brother" but not his "creative brother."
Ultimately, he concluded they were business partners when it came to Hall & Oates and nothing more. "We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me," he said.
One of the things he highlighted to show what he perceived as a lack of creative input from Oates was their No. 1 track "Kiss on My List," on which Hall is the only credited songwriter. “I did all those [harmonies],” Hall said. “That’s all me.” While Oates isn't listed as a co-writer, he is listed as a co-producer on the song.
The duo has never officially split up, but they haven't released an album together since their 2006 holiday record, Home for Christmas. Throughout their career as recording artists, which started in 1970 after they met in 1967, they released 18 studio albums and scored six No. 1 singles. The last time they performed together was in Oct. 2022. They've also had solo careers and have toured separately.
