Journey founder and lead guitarist Neal Schon and longtime keyboardist/guitarist Jonathan Cain are asking a Delaware judge to resolve a business deadlock.
According to court filings, Schon is president of Freedom 2020, a company formed three years ago to oversee tour-related finances. He and Cain each hold a 50% stake in the company.
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In a petition filed last week, Cain said he and Schon āfundamentally disagreeā on the management and operation of the company. He wants the court to appoint a custodian as a director to resolve disputes.
During a hearing Wednesday, Cainās attorney, Sidney Liebesman, told Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster that the current situation is ādysfunctional.ā
āIt is in crisis,ā Liebesman said. āThe damage is taking place during the tour.ā
Liebesman alleged that Schon is wasting company assets and believes that, as president of Freedom 2020, āhe can do whatever he wants.ā
āIt is his self-interest that is driving his decision-making,ā Liebesman said.
In a court filing Monday, Schonās attorneys claimed many of Cainās allegations have no basis.
āPetitionerās allegations that the company faces imminent irreparable harm from a purported inability of the company to meet its financial obligations has no basis in fact,ā according to Schonās attorneys, who will file a more complete response to Cainās petition on Monday.
āOur client denies that thereās been any mismanagement,ā Schonās attorney Jack Yoskowitz told Laster. He said that any dysfunction has been caused by Cain acting in his own self-interest, including making allegations to the press that harm the band.
Cainās attorneys say a quick resolution is needed because itās become āa very much public battleā that also has created a ātoxic internal environmentā during the tour.
āRather than focusing on the bandās performances during a major international tour, the bandās business manager, lead vocalist and crew members now find themselves caught in the middle of the directorsā disputes, afraid of performing their job responsibilities, and pressured to align with one director or another,ā they wrote.
Cainās attorneys say the dispute also threatens the bandās reputation, could negatively affect its fan base, and could further strain relationships with vendors and personnel.
āIndeed, the band has lost multiple members of its crew because of such tensions over the past several months,ā they wrote, adding that the companyās new business manager, its seventh, was hired two months ago.