Proceedings Stayed In Angus & Julia Stone Lawsuit Against Former Manager & Team

The New South Wales Court Of Appeal has granted a stay of proceedings in a lawsuit launched by Angus & Julia Stone against their former managers.

The lawsuit was filed by the Stones in the NSW Supreme Court on January 31st, and saw them allege that their ex-manager (as well as his company and the international firm he represented) overcharged them on management fees and commissions on back-catalogue sales, ultimately resulting in claims they were owed almost $2.8 million.

Their claims targeted former manager Tim Manton, his company Manton Music, and the management firm TaP (operated by the UK-based company HNOE) – to whose roster the pair were signed by Manton. Manton, his company Manton Music and HNOE Ltd (TaP) have denied all the claims.

Following a decision in May which saw TaP Management's bid to have the case permaently stayed dismissed, the case was taken to the NSW Court of Appeal, where it was heard on October 23rd ahead of its decision being handed down on November 19th.

Now, as the Australian Associated Press reports, the case has been permanently stayed within Australia due to an “exclusive jurisdiction clause” in the agreement between the Stones and HNOE Limited, meaning that the case would need to move to England in order to continue.

"This agreement shall be subject to English law and the High Court of justice, Strand, London shall be the sole court of competent jurisdiction," the case’s headnote read.

The agreement between the Stones and the London-based TaP Management was terminated in June 2023, with their lawsuit also alleging breaches of state law as a “strong countervailing reason” for the case to proceed in NSW.

Ultimately, it was decided that no evidence was provided that these alleged breaches would not be entertained by the English court system.

“The disputes are governed by the exclusive jurisdiction clause and prima facie must be heard in accordance with the parties’ contractual agreement,” the judgement read. "NSW would be a clearly inappropriate forum in which to determine such closely related claims."

Angus & Julia Stone released their latest album, Cape Forestier, in May, ultimately garnering ARIA Award nominations for Best Adult Contemporary Album and Best Engineered Release thanks to Eric J Debowsky's contributions to the record.