Enlarge

Ex-Hatebreed Bassist Chris Beattie Sues the Band, Takes Aim at Jamey Jasta

0

Months after he was unexpectedly fired as Hatebreed‘s bassist, Chris Beattie is filing a lawsuit against his former bandmates and taking frontman Jamey Jasta specifically to task for how it all went down.

According to a report from Billboard and Law360, Beattie claims that he had been the “driving force behind [Hatebreed’s] sound and identity until his sudden and baseless expulsion” last November. At the time details were scarce as to why Beattie, a founding member of the band, had been let go. This past May, Beattie shed some light on his “completely unexpected” firing, but this new legal filing really highlights how those events played out.

Filed in Connecticut Superior Court in New Haven, Beattie’s lawsuit takes aim directly at frontman Jamey Jasta, who’s referenced in the filing by his legal name, James Shanahan. In it, he alleged that Jasta had been displaying “increasingly erratic” before Beattie was fired. Eventually, Beattie says, Jasta decided on his own to “cut Beattie off from his career, fans, touring, and substantial expected revenue.”

The complaint also alleges that Hatebreed wouldn’t be the same without Beattie’s input over the years, stating that he “contributed significant labor, musical talent, recording and management duties, promotion, and financial resources, without which Hatebreed would not and could not have achieved its current level of recognition and profitability.”

The filing comes to a head once money really starts getting involved. In it, Beattie alleged that there had been an “implied agreement and understanding” that both Jasta and himself were equal co-owners of the band. Specifically, that meant they equally shared in the band’s profits, royalties, and IP rights. However, the lawsuit directly points to a 2015 agreement between himself, Jasta, and drummer Matthew Byrne that says they were each “entitled to 25% of the sales and revenue from merchandise while the other two members of the band received 12.5%, accounting for the remaining 25% of sales.”

Despite that agreement, Beattie claims that there was a severe lack of transparency that caused him and the other members had zero chance to see how the money was being managed, as Jasta allegedly began overseeing everything by himself over time.

Leading up to his firing, Beattie said merch payouts were regularly late and the amounts rarely added up to the expected amount. Beattie claimed he asked for financial records in 2023 and 2024, but never saw proper documentation.

Everything apparently came to a head, however, in November 2024 when Jasta told Beattie that he’d been “terminated” from the band over an alleged harassment incident involving a Live Nation security guard at the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut. Beattie claims this never happened, but it was enough of a pretense to give Beattie the ol’ heave-ho.

“In terminating Beattie from the band, Shanahan cited to an alleged incident that occurred on or around November 9, 2024 just prior to a Hatebreed concert at the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut. There, a Live Nation security guard at the venue falsely reported that Beattie had harassed her upon entering the theater prior to his performance. These allegations were patently untrue. Beattie never harassed any Live Nation employee and more likely, she mistook him for someone else.

“Despite Beattie’s denying the incident, Shanahan abruptly terminated Beattie from Hatebreed, despite his thirty-year tenure in the band and the implied agreement that he would remain part of Hatebreed. Shanahan had no justified reason for Beattie’s termination. Shanahan had structured a false narrative about Beattie — not supported by any evidence — to other band members following the Oakdale show in an effort to discredit Beattie’s reputation and persuade the other band members to justify Shanahan’s desire to kick Beattie out of the band.”

Beattie claims his firing at the hands of Jasta has severely hindered his career, leading to a “significant negative impact on his career, reputation, and health and well-being.” He also claims that the band continues to sell merch with his likeness on it, yet he’s not getting money at all from those sales.

As a result of the entire lawsuit, Beattie is seeking financial damages from both the band and Jasta himself. He’s also seeking payment to cover compensatory damages and damages for emotional distress.

Show Comments
Metal Sucks Greatest Hits