Hatebreed’s founding bassist Chris Beattie has brought a lawsuit against the metalcore band, alleging frontman Jamey Jasta unceremoniously kicked him out after 30 years so he could get a larger cut of the band’s profits.
The legal complaint provides a window into Beattie’s abrupt departure from Hatebreed earlier this year. The bassist made clear at the time that the move was not his choice, calling his ouster “uncalled for” in a statement and hinting that he’d take “future actions” to address the situation.
Beattie is now indeed taking action, suing Hatebreed and Jasta (James Shanahan) on Wednesday (July 30). The lawsuit claims Jasta abruptly ejected him from Hatebreed this past November after he’d dedicated 30 years to the band.
According to the complaint, Jasta said at the time that Beattie was being fired because of complaints that he’d harassed a Live Nation security guard at Connecticut’s Toyota Oakdale Theater earlier that month. But Beattie says these allegations were “patently untrue” and that he never harassed any Live Nation employee.
“Despite Beattie’s denying the incident, Shanahan abruptly terminated Beattie from Hatebreed,” says the complaint. “Shanahan had structured a false narrative about Beattie — not supported by any evidence — to other band members following the Oakdale show in an effort to discredit Beattie’s reputation and persuade the other band members to justify Shanahan’s desire to kick Beattie out of the band.”
So what’s the real reason Beattie was ousted from Hatebreed? According to the bassist, it’s money.
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“Shanahan stood to profit from Beattie’s termination, as he would be entitled to a larger share of band proceeds and profits without Beattie in the band,” says the complaint. “In addition, Beattie and Shanahan were the primary songwriters for the band and together earned the majority of publishing proceeds for their work. With Beattie out of the band, Shanahan likely believed that he could stand to recover significantly more in the way of publishing proceeds.”
The lawsuit claims that Jasta had become “more secretive” about Hatebreed’s finances in recent years. Beattie says he suspected Jasta wasn’t paying him the full 25% cut of the band’s profits that he was supposed to receive, and that the singer refused to let him see their balance sheets.
Beattie claims his termination from Hatebreed “has had a significant negative impact on his
career, reputation, and health and well-being.” He is seeking financial damages from the band and Jasta, noting that he’s been cut off from touring profits and has lost brand deals since being ousted.
A rep for Hatebreed did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday (July 31).
