Coldplay have filed a lawsuit against their former manager – weeks after he sued the group for “unpaid commission”.
The group is petitioning for £14 million from Dave Holmes, who they claim had a conflict of interest when securing terms for a Coldplay tour in 2021.
The action follows Holmes’ August lawsuit for £10 million – filed against Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion – alleging he is owed money after organising recording sessions and samples for the group’s forthcoming 10th and 11th albums prior to his dismissal.
In court papers obtained by The Times, the band now says Holmes allowed tour costs to spiral, claiming he secured $30 million (£24.6 million) in loans from promoters Live Nation and used them “to fund a property development venture in or around Vancouver, Canada”.
They go on to state that, when negotiating terms for their ‘Music Of The Spheres’ tour, Holmes still owed them $27.5 million, which could have been a conflict of interest.
“That would potentially or actually conflict with his obligations to secure best possible terms for [Coldplay],” the claim states. It adds that Holmes had a “personal interest” in maintaining relations with Live Nation to ensure leverage if he “required any form of indulgence by reference to the loan terms”.
Meanwhile, representatives from Live Nation said the company “has a strong and longstanding relationship with Coldplay”, adding: “Any past dealings with their management team were considered an extension of this relationship.”
In response to the filing, a spokesperson for Holmes told The Times: “Coldplay know they are in trouble with their defence.
“Accusing Dave Holmes of non-existent ethical lapses and other made-up misconduct will not deflect from the real issue at hand – Coldplay had a contract with Dave, they are refusing to honour it and they need to pay Dave what they owe him.”
Coldplay deny Holmes’ claim “in its entirety” and say they did not extend his management agreement “following a period of increasing concern regarding Mr Holmes’s conduct”.
