Hall & Oates Resolve Legal Battle Following 'Ultimate Partnership Betrayal'

After a two-year battle in courts and the media, ‘80s pop sensations Hall & Oates have reportedly resolved their legal feud.

Billboard reports that the legal battle began in 2023 due to John Oates’ plan to allegedly sell his half of the pair’s joint venture to music company Primary Wave. At the time, Daryl Hall described Oates’ decision as the “ultimate partnership betrayal.”

According to court filings seen by Billboard, the legal dispute has been resolved via “confidential arbitration.”

In November 2023, Hall began arbitration proceedings in an attempt to block Oates from selling his stake in their joint venture, Whole Oats Enterprises, to Primary Wave.

Saying he was “blindsided” by Oates’ plans, Hall argued against partnering with Primary Wave, while the lengthy legal feud outlined the creative “divorce” between the pair.

Also in November 2023, Hall was granted a temporary restraining order against Oates.

Before their legal fights were published in the media, the duo had never technically broken up – touring together as recently as 2022 – but Hall previously made allegations about potential issues with Oates in the press.

“You think John Oates is my partner? … He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner,” Hall said in an interview with Bill Maher in 2022.

Hall continued, “John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We are business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me.”

In 2014, Daryl Hall and John Oates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016. Before then, the pair were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. Their 1982 album, H2O, saw Hall & Oates land at #3 on the ARIA Albums Chart, with the single Maneater peaking at #4 on the Singles Chart.

Despite the massive single Out of Touch on 1984’s Big Bam Boom, the album landed at #20 in Australia.