GNR Sued

[Axl082002 banned]

https://music.mxdwn.com/2023/11/14/news/guns-n-roses-sued-by-former-photographer-for-alleged-copyright-infringement-accusations-of-sexual-harassment-against-manager/

[Oliver]

 

[Oliver]

This article is easier to read:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/guns-n-roses-manager-sued-sexual-harassment-copyright-claims-1234877430/

[rebelhipi]

Pretty shocking actually

[AxlHBK]

If the accusations in the lawsuit are true, that Fernando is a real unprofessional POS.

What a major dark cloud to hover over the band after such a successful tour comes to an end.

[gcluskey]

Abuse of power

[cineater]

I'm kind of surprised she said Fernando, Richard, okay, but that looked mutual to me.  I mean his mother and sister are around.  Did she talk to either one of them?  The band is managed by a team so how do you get away with taking action against somebody without everybody else wanting to know what's going on?  And she's says Jarmo, another photographer was treated the same way so how's the sexual harassment?

I couldn't read the Rollingstone article.  Did GNR address the sexual harassment allegation?  There's too many women in GNR for Fernando to keep his job if this allegation is true.

The picture part.  We know GNR is possessive of that.  I would guess they have that all tied up and are going to win on that.

[cineater]

Hold on another story says Jarmo wasn't treated the same way.

[PermissionToLand]

Pretty shocking actually

Is it? Fernando was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never knew the meaning of the word "no".

[superloconoriega]

looks real bad... wonder how Slash and Duff are gonna respond to this

[ItsoEezee]

Hold on another story says Jarmo wasn't treated the same way.

Correct.  Per the plaintiff's filing:
"1122. Lebeis’s discriminatory intent- manifested through his habitual
stonewalling of Plaintiff to deny utilization of written contracts and his use of
photo credit as means to sexually extort Plaintiff-is further buttressed by the fact
that another photographer, named Jarmo, a male Finnish photographer who also
worked with GNR/GUNDAM/TEAM BRAZIL was not treated in the same regard
as Benzova and was allowed credit for his photographs."

[ItsoEezee]

I had not heard this before, so throwing it out there in case others like me had not...
The filing states Guns N' Roses is Duff, Axl and Slash.  I'm a little confused.  I thought Axl owned "Guns N' Roses" pre-reunion.  I assumed--without any logical reason--that once Duff and Slash rejoined, GNR became a band.  Now it makes more sense that a lot of promotional stuff is weirdly just Axl, Duff and Slash--not the whole crew.  In other words, maybe Guns N Roses is not just Axl, but is only the three guys.  Everyone else is hired help indefinitely, like Gilby?

[jarmo]

Hold on another story says Jarmo wasn't treated the same way.

Correct.  Per the plaintiff's filing:
"1122. Lebeis’s discriminatory intent- manifested through his habitual
stonewalling of Plaintiff to deny utilization of written contracts and his use of
photo credit as means to sexually extort Plaintiff-is further buttressed by the fact
that another photographer, named Jarmo, a male Finnish photographer who also
worked with GNR/GUNDAM/TEAM BRAZIL was not treated in the same regard
as Benzova and was allowed credit for his photographs."

True. I didn't travel with the band most of the time or stay in their hotels.

Never have I considered myself GN'R's tour photographer either. I took photos for fun.





/jarmo

[ITARocker]

True or not, as usual, all these things comes out after she lost the job. It's all good when you still can milk the cow? It's not that you can't find another job if you don't like the workplace, she could have sued them years ago. This jsut prove once again that money buys everything, even your self esteem

[D-GenerationX]

I had not heard this before, so throwing it out there in case others like me had not...
The filing states Guns N' Roses is Duff, Axl and Slash.  I'm a little confused.  I thought Axl owned "Guns N' Roses" pre-reunion.  I assumed--without any logical reason--that once Duff and Slash rejoined, GNR became a band.  Now it makes more sense that a lot of promotional stuff is weirdly just Axl, Duff and Slash--not the whole crew.  In other words, maybe Guns N Roses is not just Axl, but is only the three guys.  Everyone else is hired help indefinitely, like Gilby?

I assume so.  Not all that uncommon with legacy bands with personnel turnover.

I recall the way Don Henley put it when asked why he and Glenn Fry would take the lion's share of both the money and credit for The Eagles success. :

"A band is not a democracy.  More like a sports team.  And not everyone gets to touch the ball all the time."

[D-GenerationX]

looks real bad... wonder how Slash and Duff are gonna respond to this

It reads really bad for the band. 

But a lot of filed lawsuits read like that, initially.  The aggrieved party makes it seem like they were treated like total dogshit.  The defendant tends to come back with a version of events where the plaintiff is totally and completely full of crap and lying.

The contract stuff on the photos seems cut and dried.  That's on paper.  The sexual harassment stuff is a bad look in 2023.  It just is.

As to Slash and Duff, I think it all comes down to how they see the Lebeis family.  As a part of the band operation?  Or do they still see them as, "hey Axl, these are YOUR people, not ours."


Just don't know.  Lot of speculation at this point.

[DeN]

they'll buy her. and since there's no sexual agression, she'll agree. Axl is very loyal, and it touches what
he considers his family but he's well placed to know what sexual harassment and abuse is.
that's a conscience case. but I don't see him firing Fernando, unless he's forced by the others.
it would be like devastating to his own family relationship, right?

looks very very bad.

[Naltav]

I had not heard this before, so throwing it out there in case others like me had not...
The filing states Guns N' Roses is Duff, Axl and Slash.  I'm a little confused.  I thought Axl owned "Guns N' Roses" pre-reunion.  I assumed--without any logical reason--that once Duff and Slash rejoined, GNR became a band.  Now it makes more sense that a lot of promotional stuff is weirdly just Axl, Duff and Slash--not the whole crew.  In other words, maybe Guns N Roses is not just Axl, but is only the three guys.  Everyone else is hired help indefinitely, like Gilby?

As I have understood it.

Axl has the legal rights to the name Guns N' Roses. That is why he could continue on with the bandname, without the others.

But when it comes to the "company" Guns N' Roses Inc. Slash and Duff has a share of the "stocks" in that company.

[D-GenerationX]

they'll buy her. and since there's no sexual agression, she'll agree. Axl is very loyal, and it touches what
he considers his family but he's well placed to know what sexual harassment and abuse is.
that's a conscience case. but I don't see him firing Fernando, unless he's forced by the others.
it would be like devastating to his own family relationship, right?

looks very very bad.

I agree  That would be an almost impossible situation to navigate, given the personal history involved.

[DeN]

OK I just read the whole thing on the Rolling Stone article, there is clearly sexual aggression(s)

it changes everything.