Boy George and his Culture Club bandmates have been ordered to fork out £1.75 million to former bandmember Jon Moss in their High Court battle.
Last year, Moss – who was a founding member of the ‘Karma Chameleon’ hitmakers – alleged that the 61-year-old singer, guitarist Roy Hay, also 61, and bassist Michael Craig, 63, had defrauded him out of $246,000 (£201,000), after being expelled from the group in 2018 by their manager.
Moss claimed he was owed the “outstanding balance” under the contract he signed for their ‘Life Tour’.
He then claimed each band member would receive a fee of $600,000 (£491,000) for up to 80 concerts.
Moss also stated he had run up legal costs amounting to £1 million and accused the trio of being “determined to keep (him) out of sums to which he is entitled, reflecting decades of service for the band, for as long as possible.”
Culture Club were set for a six-day trial next week to establish how much Culture Club has profited and how much Moss is owed.
However, a court order was issued on Tuesday (21.03.23) meaning they will have to pay the hefty sum to the 65-year-old former drummer.
Further to this, Mrs. Justice Joanna Smith said Moss will not be allowed to use the Culture Club name.
This means the musicians will no longer have to fight it out in court.
Moss starred in the band for 37 years, and he previously claimed that he was responsible for the Culture Club name.
He said: “It was Caravan Club and then it was something unmentionable. Then I came up with Culture Club because of all the different people in the band.”
Mos and George – real name George O’Dowd – embarked on a relationship at the height of Culture Club’s success in the 1980s, although the romance was kept under wraps at the time.
Their relationship ended in 1986 just before the group split.