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Legal warfare heats up as Coldplay counter-sues their former manager, seeking damages following the lawsuit he filed against them over an alleged breach-of-contract.
Coldplay is firing back against their former manager, Dave Holmes, hitting him with a lawsuit to the tune of £14 million ($17 million) following his suit against them for £10 million ($12.2 million) earlier this year.
Holmes managed the band from their early days in 2005 until last year, suing them this past August for £10 million in “unpaid commission” he alleges they owe him. But in their countersuit, Coldplay rejects his claims, seeking £14 million in damages, alleging Holmes allowed tour costs to get out of control while using his relationship with the band to secure loans from Live Nation.
“Mr. Holmes used monies obtained by the loan agreements to fund a property development venture in or around Vancouver, Canada,” the band’s filing claims. “It is to be inferred that Mr. Holmes was only able to acquire loans totalling $30 million (…) from Live Nation by virtue of his position as Coldplay’s manager.”
Live Nation told The Times that it “has a strong and longstanding relationship with Coldplay,” and that “any past dealings with their management team were considered an extension of this relationship.”
Costly equipment was also allegedly purchased under Holmes’ authority, including a $9.7 million video screen too large to be brought on tour and 16 custom-made stage pylons costing $11 million and later found to be unusable. The court documents cite these instances as examples of Holmes failing to supervise or control the tour budget.
Despite the countersuit, legal representation for Holmes remains undeterred.
“Coldplay know they are in trouble with their defense. Accusing Dave Holmes of nonexistent ethical lapses and other made-up misconduct will not deflect from the real issue at hand — Coldplay had a contract with Dave, they are refusing to honor it, and they need to pay Dave what they owe him.”
Holmes’ initial lawsuit alleges that Coldplay dismissed him in 2022 despite having previously agreed to extend his contract to assist with their upcoming tenth and eleventh studio albums and preparations for their 2024-2025 tour. According to the filing, the band claims to have never agreed to extend the contract and refuse to pay him for his work.