Coldplay are suing their former manager just weeks after he filed a lawsuit against the group for “unpaid commission”.
The rock band want £14m, claiming Dave Holmes had a conflict of interest when trying to secure terms for a Coldplay tour in 2021.
Their court action comes after Mr Holmes filed his own lawsuit for £10m in August against band members Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion.
Mr Holmes claims he is owed money after organising recording sessions and samples for the group’s 10th and 11th albums, which have not yet been released, before he was dismissed last year.
But in court papers seen by The Times, the band say Mr Holmes allowed tour costs to spiral.
It’s claimed Mr Holmes secured $30m (£24.6m) in loans from concert promoters Live Nation.
“To the best of [our] knowledge… Mr Holmes used monies obtained by the loan agreements to fund a property development venture in or around Vancouver, Canada,” the band said in the filing at the High Court in London.
And when it came to negotiating terms for a tour in 2021, called Music Of The Spheres, the group say Mr Holmes still owed them $27.5m and this could have been a conflict of interest.
“That would potentially or actually conflict with his obligations to secure best possible terms for [Coldplay],” the claim states.
Mr Holmes had a “personal interest” in keeping the best possible relations with Live Nation to ensure he would have leverage if he “required any form of indulgence by reference to the loan terms”, it adds.
Live Nation said it “has a strong and longstanding relationship with Coldplay”, adding: “Any past dealings with their management team were considered an extension of this relationship.”
The band also claims costs “escalated quickly” ahead of their tour, with unsuitable equipment that came at a high price.
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Asked about the counterclaim, The Times reports a spokesman for Mr Holmes said: “Coldplay know they are in trouble with their defence.
“Accusing Dave Holmes of non-existent 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 honour it and they need to pay Dave what they owe him.”
Coldplay deny Mr Holmes’ claim “in its entirety”.
Their counterclaim says they did not extend his management agreement “following a period of increasing concern regarding Mr Holmes’s conduct”.
