A federal judge agreed Monday to a request by rock band Third Eye Blind to put on hold payment of $447,000 to former lead guitarist Tony Fredianelli, awarded by a jury in a long-running contract dispute with former band members.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen temporarily halted enforcement of the judgment, but on the condition that the Third Eye Blind Touring Co., which lost in the trial verdict, post a bond in the amount of the award.
The bond must be posted by Nov. 12 and the company must file a motion for a new trial by Nov. 18 or the money goes to Fredianelli, Chen said.
Fredianelli sued claiming he was a shareholder in the band from 2003 to 2009, when he was fired. He contended that lead singer Stephan Jenkins and drummer Bradley Hargreaves breached an oral contract on the amount he would be paid from touring income.
Jurors deliberated less than two days before rejecting claims against Jenkins and Hargreaves, but finding the Third Eye Blind Touring Co. liable.
Third Eye Blind was known as an alternative rock band in the 1990s, with Fredianelli the band’s original lead guitarist in 1993. He claims to be co-author of many of the band’s early hits, including “Semi-Charmed Life” and “Motorcycle Drive By” and “How’s It Going to Be,” from their first album, which sold six million copies. All the song’s reached the Top 10 of U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
During the 2000s, the band rarely released new music and made most of its money from touring.
Case: Fredianelli v. Jenkins, No. 11-cv-3232EMC
TrialInsider.com 