Slipknot‘s business manager has said that the recently-departed Chris Fehn was an employee of the band, rather than an equal partner as he previously suggested.
The percussionist left the metal group last month after taking legal action against his bandmates over a pay dispute. Fehn was allegedly under the impression that tour takings and merchandise were handled by one sole company that split profits and pays the band.
Slipknot later released a statement claiming their former member “chose to point fingers and manufacture claims rather than doing what was necessary” to remain a part of the group. Frontman Corey Taylor also tweeted to say he had been “wrongfully accused of stealing money”.
Fehn’s attorney said that the musician “thought everyone was being treated equally”, with his lawsuit claiming that Slipknot welcomed him as a partner of the band’s general partnership (which retained the rights to the Slipknot trademarks) when he joined in 1998.
Now, a new court filing has shown Slipknot’s business manager Rob Shore outlining Fehn’s role in the band. “Mr. Fehn performed with Slipknot and received a fee for doing so,” Shore said through his attorney. “He is not a shareholder, owner or member of any business entity he names as a defendant in this action.”
Later in the document, which was filed in New York State court yesterday (April 22), Shore clarified Taylor and Shawn Crahan’s roles in the band and subsequent businesses.
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“Defendants, Michael Shawn Crahan and Corey Taylor, are founding members of the musical band professionally known as ‘Slipknot’ (the ‘Band’),” it reads. “All remaining defendants are entities through which the band’s business is or was conducted.”
As Metal Sucks notes, even if Fehn believed that he was a “shareholder, owner or member” – or led to believe that he was equal to Crahan and Taylor in terms of their businesses – it will come down to whether any paperwork was signed. It’s also thought that the court will have to look into “circumstantial evidence” in order to come to their verdict.
Fehn’s role in the writing process of Slipknot’s material will also be taken into consideration.
Meanwhile, Corey Taylor has shared another preview of his new on-stage mask as Slipknot prepare to head out on tour.