Don Felder - Termination and Lawsuit

Termination and Lawsuit

On February 6, 2001, Don Felder was fired from the Eagles. Felder responded by filing two lawsuits against "Eagles, Ltd., a California corporation; Don Henley, an individual; Glenn Frey, an individual; and Does 1–50", alleging wrongful termination, breach of implied-in-fact contract, and breach of fiduciary duty, reportedly seeking $50 million in damages.

In his latter complaint, Felder alleged that from the 1994 Hell Freezes Over tour onward, Henley and Frey had "...insisted that they each receive a higher percentage of the band's profits...", whereas the money had previously been split in five equal portions. Felder also accused them of coercing him into signing an agreement under which Henley and Frey would receive three times more of the Selected Works: 1972-1999 proceeds than would Felder. This box set, released in November 2000, has sold approximately 267,000 copies at about $60 apiece.

Henley and Frey then counter-sued Felder for breach of contract, alleging that Felder had written and attempted to sell the rights to a "tell-all" book. Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001) was published in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2007. The American edition was released for publication by John Wiley & Sons on April 28, 2008, with Felder embarking on a full publicity campaign surrounding its release.

On January 23, 2002, the Los Angeles County Court consolidated the two complaints and on May 8, 2007, the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

In a 2008 interview promoting his new book, Felder indicated that he remains friends with fellow former Eagles Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. When asked if he still has contact with current Eagles members Don Henley and Glenn Frey, Felder stated that the only replies he gets are from their respective attorneys.