Back in April 2017, four ex-Ghost members sued Tobias Forge (Papa Emeritus incarnations) over unpaid wages and withholding of royalties. The four former members – Simon Söderberg, Mauro Rubino, Henrik Palm and Martin Hjertstedt – eventually saw their lawsuit dismissed, with the judge ordering the former members to reimburse Forge 1.3 million Swedish Kronor in legal fees (approximately $145,000 USD).
The initial attempt to appeal was denied in February, with the possibility of the plaintiffs appealing for other reasons left open. The plantiffs have naturally found the other reasons, and while we don't know exactly what they are, Swedish newspaper Östgöta Correspondenten reports the case has been referred to the Göta court of appeals in Jönköping. The case will be heard in March of 2020.
The former members alleged Tobias made decisions for the group without consulting the rest of them, yet also said that a partnership agreement exists between them and Tobias which put Tobias in charge of the management of the band. They claimed he had been collecting all the royalties and revenue from the band's merchandise and touring but never provided other band members with any financial statements.
Forge instead insisted that the band was not yet profitable, according to court papers at the time. The former members claimed against that statement that they did not receive any compensation in 2012, and the dire situation resulted in Forge, under pressure, to pay the members sporadic amounts while still claiming there was no money in their company bank account.
Forge has taken the lawsuit in stride and also said it was a result of "growing pains [in Ghost], and all of this shit has been the result of things going well, not the opposite." He also claimed at the time that "no legal partnership" existed between the ex-members and himself.
Ghost have since moved on, and just released an excellent EP, and are currently touring the country. Get your tickets here.
