The Killers and their lawyer-manager have asked a federal judge to throw out a $16 million breach-of-contract lawsuit from the band’s former manager.
In documents filed in U.S. District Court on Monday, members of the rock band and their manager, lawyer Robert Reynolds, accused former manager Braden Merrick of Los Angeles of incompetence and dishonesty.
Merrick’s lawsuit, filed Feb. 21, alleges that he was fired in May, after the Las Vegas-based band became successful. The two sides had been negotiating a settlement.
In a separate action filed Friday, the band also asked the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement to void any agreements between The Killers and Merrick.
A spokeswoman at the agency’s San Francisco headquarters said Monday she wasn’t immediately aware of the band’s petition and didn’t know when a hearing would be scheduled.
Merrick’s lawyer, Howard King of Los Angeles, said the band’s contract with Merrick, which was to have run through 2007, was in Nevada.
Although he hadn’t seen Friday’s or Monday’s actions, King said they were expected.
“You gotta take your shot if you don’t want to pay what you owe,” he said.
Reynolds didn’t immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.
The Killers, formed in 2002, signed with Island Def Jam records and had a hit with their first release, “Hot Fuss.” They recently began recording a second album.