Chris Daughtry Sued By Ex-Bandmates Over Royalties

Six years after his stint on American Idol, Chris Daughtry is getting a not-so-pleasant blast from the past. Bassist Ryan Andrews, drummer Scott Crawford and guitarist Mark Perry of Daughtry’s former band Absent Element have filed a suit on in Guilford County, North Carolina that accuses the singer of “constructive fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, unfair trade practices, and other deceptive and wrongful conduct.” The trio claim that they’ve been cheated out of royalties from four songs they wrote with Daughtry before his Idol success. “All four members wrote music and lyrics for Absent Element’s songs, collaborated on the arrangement and recording of those songs, regularly consulted with each other on matters relating to the business of the band, and made partnership decisions based on majority votes,” the three men claim in their lawsuit.

In response, Chris posted the following brief statement on his band’s official site:

“I am very hurt by these false accusations. The songs listed in this lawsuit were written solely by me and no one else and at this time, I have no further comment.”

One fan commented with the following on the statement: “Sounds like ‘sour grapes’ to me. Why would they wait so long if there was an issue with his 1st album? Chris is talented enough that he doesn’t have to use anyone else’s ideas, songs, etc.”

Daughtry is currently touring through the end of April with his band in support of their third album Break The Spell. Tonight they play at Charlotte’s Ovens Auditorium in the singer’s home state of North Carolina.

[Via E! Online]