John Fogerty Sues Former Creedence Clearwater Revival Bandmates for Unpaid Royalties
The surviving members of Creedence Clearwater Revival appear to be planning a reunion — in the courtroom, that is.
Relations have been strained between frontman John Fogerty and his former bandmates, Stu Cook and Doug “Cosmo” Clifford, since Creedence split in 1972. The two camps went to court in the '90s following Clifford and Cook's decision to record and tour as Creedence Clearwater Revisited, settling on an agreement that allowed them to continue, but now both sides are accusing the other of failing to fulfill obligations.
Clifford and Cook, along with late CCR guitarist Tom Fogerty's widow, filed suit against John last December, alleging copyright infringement and accusing him of "repeatedly [having] his lawyers threaten us with lawsuits and demand unreasonable concessions of our rights." John fired back in the press, vowing that "No lawyers, lawsuits or angry ex-band members will stop me ever again from singing my songs."
At the time, Clifford and Cook said they were preemptively filing against Fogerty because they believed he was about to go after them for unpaid royalties — and now Fogerty has done just that. The Associated Press reports that he filed a lawsuit against Clifford and Cook in Los Angeles on July 10.
"Fogerty previously sued the men over using the Creedence Clearwater name, but settled with them in 2001 for a share of their touring and merchandise income," explains the report. "Forgerty's lawsuit claims he hasn't been paid his share since December 2011. His lawsuit does not say how much he is seeking."
Fogerty, who remains on his ongoing 1969 Tour while prepping the release of his upcoming memoir, could not be reached for comment, while Creedence Clearwater Revisited — also in the midst of a summer tour — have yet to respond to Fogerty's filing.
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