Journey’s Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon have brought in a third party to settle their ongoing personal and legal dispute.
In late July, the band’s keyboardist Cain filed a lawsuit against guitarist Schon while the band was on a co-headlining tour in the US with Def Leppard and guests The Steve Miller Band and Cheap Trick.
The lawsuit was filed because Schon was unhappy with his “tour-related expenses,” including “budgeting and using” the band’s credit card for personal expenses.
The band has since cancelled their 50th anniversary arena tour of the UK and Ireland, which was due to take place in October and November.
In a new Facebook post, Schon explained his side of the story and revealed that the band had decided to bring in “someone impartial” to resolve their differences.
“Anyone who follows Journey knows that Jon Cain and I don’t always agree on everything. Or sometimes on just about everything,” he wrote.
“Recently, Jon Cain has made a number of claims and defamatory accusations about me and my wife – and I cannot stress enough how upset I am by this and how false they are. I am determined to conduct myself honorably and put all of this aside for the moment to focus on our fans, the tour and everyone who gives so much to make things happen.”
“That’s why I’m so glad Jon now agrees with me that the current dynamic cannot continue. And that’s why I’m also happy that we’re bringing in someone impartial to help us resolve our differences, bring clarity to our approach and allow us as a band to refocus on what we should all be focusing on – making music and performing for our fans.”
Schon, the band’s lead guitarist and sole founding member, owns 50 percent of the band through the company Freedom 2020, while Cain owns the other half, creating a stalemate over corporate decisions. Bloomberg Law. Cain is the second longest-serving member of the band, joining in 1980.
The document alleges that Schon believes his role as president of Freedom 2020 gives him the right to make unilateral decisions on behalf of the company. The document also claims that Schon’s actions “pose a serious threat to the company and Journey’s illustrious history of musical greatness.”
Cain alleges that Schon exceeded the allegedly previously agreed limit of $1,500 per night for hotel accommodations and spent up to $10,000 per night on hotel rooms for himself and his wife.
Cain also claims that Schon allowed Journey’s road team to fly business class, book hotel rooms in their home cities, and travel between cities on private jets – all without Cain’s approval.
In March 2023, it was reported that, amid ongoing tensions, Schon and Cain had hired off-duty police officers to guard their respective dressing rooms during the tour.
In 2022, Schon sued Cain, alleging that his bandmate had blocked his access to the company’s Amex account and delayed payments to crew members and vendors. Cain sued him again a few months later, claiming his intervention was necessary to stop Schon from “abusing” the company’s credit card.
In December 2022, Schon filed an independent cease-and-desist order against Cain after he was seen singing the band’s signature song, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” with Republican politicians at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort.
