Daryl Hall gets restraining order against John Oates in secretive legal battle

Hall & Oates are embroiled in a confidential legal battle that has led to Daryl Hall getting a restraining order against his former music partner John Oates.

Little information about the lawsuit is publicly available, as the court documents are sealed, but based on court records, Hall filed an undisclosed complaint against Oates on Nov. 16, as well as a motion for a temporary restraining order, as reported by Philadelphia magazine. The following day, the court officially issued a temporary restraining order to begin Nov. 30.

The Nashville Chancery Court confirmed the existence of the lawsuit to Variety, but declined further comment because the lawsuit is sealed.

As TMZ points out, Hall disparaged Oates on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast last year, saying, “You think John Oates is my partner? … He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner.”

He went on, “John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We are business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me.”

Hall then went on to diminish the collaborative aspect of Hall & Oates, using the duo’s 1980 No. 1 hit “Kiss on My List” as an example of their apparent creative separation. “I did all those [harmonies],” Hall said. “That’s all me.” Oates is not credited as a songwriter on “Kiss on My List,” but is listed as a co-produced with Hall.

Hall & Oates met in 1967, formed their duo three years later and have released 18 studio albums since their 1972 debut, “Whole Oats.” The pop-R&B duo boasts six No. 1 singles, including “Maneater,” “Rich Girl” and “Out of Touch.” Hall & Oates toured together as recently as October 2022, and they released their latest studio album, “Home for Christmas,” in 2006. Both Hall and Oates have solo recording careers and have toured separately over the years, but the duo has never officially split up.

Additional reporting by Variety staff.