California rock outfit, Avenged Sevenfold, is being sued by their label company, Warner Bros., after trying to run away from the contract they initially signed, reports Billboard.
The 5-piece hard rock act has released four studio albums under Warner Bros. Records starting 2005, and now, the band is trying to weasel out of their unfinished recording contract. The band used the "seven-year-rule" that applies in California. However, Warner Bros. is filing a breach-of-contract lawsuit with compensatory damages.
The "seven-year-rule" that the band is trying to use is a part of the California labor code that says that a court cannot force service from a contract after seven calendar years from the signing of the deal.
Howard E. King, the band's lawyer, says that Warner Bros. has gone through "multiple regime changes that led to dramatic turnover at every level of the company, to the point where no one on the current A&R staff has even a nodding relationship with the band," Rolling Stone reports.
Even with the seven-year-rule defense, Warner Bros. have demanded a trial so it can be ruled out.
In the lawsuit, dated January 8, 2016, Warner Bros. is also keen on collecting compensatory damages and says that they have invested huge sums in the band's future albums and releases. These future releases include a studio LP and a live album in CD and DVD format. Warner states that they have already funded these projects and if the band decides to call it quits, they would have to give the investment back.
Still, the band has decided to cut ties with Warner Bros. even with the said demands from the label.
"The band looks forward to building a relationship with a new label. Avenged Sevendfold' has every expectation that it will forge the success and personal relationships with them that it once had with Warner Bros," said King, in a statement published by Billboard.
