John Oates talks about his legal battle with Darryl Hall over the joint business

John Oates shares his side of the story about his legal battle with his longtime creative partner Daryl Hall.

The legendary rock duo, known as Daryl Hall and John Oates, have been business partners for over 50 years and are best known for their hits like “Rich Girl” and “You Make My Dreams (Come True).”

Last year, Hall sued Oats alleging that Oats attempted to sell his stake in their joint company, Whole Oats Enterprises, without Hall’s permission.

Hall & Oates singers face court over joint venture: everything to know

During an interview with Michael Strahan, which aired on “Good Morning America” ​​on Friday, Oates said he was already trying to sell his stake in the company and explained the reasoning behind his decision.

“When this whole situation got bogged down in legality and really complicated legal wrangling, I got frustrated,” he said. “And I said, ‘You know what?’ Daryl has always wanted to be his own man. I said: I will give him the opportunity to do it, if I sell my half, he can also, you know, do what he wants.

He continued: “It was ruining my life, to be honest with you… I wasn’t happy. And I said, ‘Okay, I’ll step aside, people do that all the time. I mean, you’re looking at all the artists selling all their catalogs… It’s common.’ Very… It’s not a big deal, but Darryl didn’t like the idea of ​​me selling to a certain third party.”

According to court documents filed on Nov. 29, Hall claimed Oates’ plan was unauthorized because he did not obtain Hall’s approval, which Hall said Oates was required to do. Hall said in the documents that Oates and his co-defendants participated in the deal “completely behind my back and without my written consent.”

Hall, who said in his court filing that he was “shocked” by the ordeal, also called Oates’ actions a “betrayal of the absolute partnership,” noting that the papers show that negotiations between Oates and Primary Wave “began, at the latest, on October 2, 2023,” When the non-disclosure agreement was signed. He added that he first learned of the deal on October 20, 2023.

Hall went on to allege in court documents that “most egregious is that Oates did this while they were in the middle of mediation, which began in August, to determine what would happen to the assets of Hall Oates Enterprises amid the duo’s negotiations.” “Divorce” and “dissolve” their LLP.

As a result, Hall claimed that Oates’ actions represented a “secret and entirely bad faith move.”

When asked if Oates viewed it that way as well, he replied: “Not at all. I don’t think so.”

“Because we always viewed ourselves as individuals working together,” he said. “And I felt like I had the right to do it. But, you know, he didn’t do it.”

Reflecting on their partnership, Oates said he and Hall had not worked together creatively in more than 20 years.

“The only thing we did together was do concerts where we just went out and performed the hit songs,” he said.

Before filing the lawsuit, Oates said he and Hall “didn’t have much disagreement at all.”

“We never talked to each other much,” he recalls. “For the last 20 years, we’ve been coming to a show individually, walking on stage, playing, and then going our separate ways… It’s never really been as close as people might want to, you know, imagine in them a kind of fantasy vision of our relationship.”

When Strahan inquired whether the duo, Hall and Oates, would perform together again, Oates replied: “Not from my perspective, but you’ll have to ask Darrell how he feels about that.”

Talking to diverse In an interview published earlier this month, Hall discussed the legal matter with Oates, saying the situation caught him by surprise.

“I don’t know, man, all I can say is people change, and sometimes you don’t really know someone like you that you thought you knew,” Hall added.

In response to Hall’s comment, Oates told GMA that Hall “should have looked a little closer.”

Oates also shared that he thinks Hall has “changed a lot.”

Despite their differences and legal troubles, Oates said he still loves Hall like a brother.

In his letter to Hall, Oates said: “I love you like a brother, if I were to talk to him directly, but you know what? Brothers have disagreements, families grow apart… I would say, I wish him the best.” I hope he gets everything he wants in life and can fulfill his dream of becoming a respected solo artist, which I think he always wanted.

Although solo success is something Oates also wanted as he released his eighth solo album titled “Reunion” this week.

He noted that the album was recorded in Nashville, the city where he now resides after moving there more than a decade ago.

Oates told Strahan that his life in Music City had a huge influence on his new music.

“Moving to Nashville changed everything for me,” he explained. “Because before I met Darryl Hall I was into acoustic guitar, blues and folk music. When we met we combined our individual influences and created something completely new.”

“But that guy, that musician was always there in the background, you know? And when I moved to Nashville, I tapped into him again, and it really gave me a new lease on my music life,” he added. . While working on the new album, Oates said this was the first time he had been able to “really commit to a project and a future of creativity in music.”

“The main song was inspired by my 100-year-old father, who told me he was going to reunite with my mother, who had passed away years before. And when he told me that I thought about the word reunion, what he really meant by ‘meaning,’” he explained. “And I said, ‘Reunion.’” . And I realized that what was happening was that I was reuniting with my musical self and my personality [self] As a man and as a musician.”

He added of the album: “It’s the most personal thing I’ve ever done.”

Discussing what his legacy will be, Oates said he wants to “break down barriers.”

“I’m looking forward to expressing myself honestly… being a good father, being a good husband. I want to be a good friend and I want to enjoy my life,” he said.

ABC News has reached out to Hall for comment but has not yet heard back.