Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon have not seen eye to eye over the years (Picture: Getty)
Jonathan Cain, keyboardist for rock band Journey, has sued bandmate and co-founder Neal Schon as the 50th anniversary Freedom Tour continues in the US.
The legendary music group formed in 1973 saw Jonathan, 74, join in 1980 just a year before the release of their greatest hit, Don’t Stop Believin’. The band was eventually inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
Now, the current group – made up of Jonathan, guitarist Neal, 70, and lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, 56 – could be at risk of being torn apart after a new lawsuit in which Jonathan accused Neal of lavish spending while on tour.
The court filing to Delaware’s Chancery Court was made public on Monday and concerns Freedom 2020 Inc., the company founded in 2021 and reportedly equally headed by Jonathan and Neal to oversee the band’s touring-related asset.
According to Bloomberg, the filing claims Neal has exceeded the $1,500 (£1,177) per-night hotel fee cap, maxed out a $1million limited American Express card, chartered private jets, hired close friends as security and blocked debt repayment efforts.
The filing describes the dispute as ‘a very much public battle between petitioner and respondent and is impacting the band’s reputation throughout the music industry.’
The band’s onstage performance has not yet been disturbed by the legal troubles (Picture: Getty)
It adds that the ‘onstage performance’ aspect is currently safe from the impact and ‘has not suffered’.
The ‘far-reaching’ deadlock is starting to affect day-to-day operations, however, as it describes one director will ‘terminate an employee or crew member’ only for the other to rehire them ‘hours or days later’.
The alleged ‘strains on cash flow’ could ‘pose a severe threat of harm to the company and to Journey’s storied history of musical greatness’, the lawsuit added.
Jonathan has also allegedly repeatedly attempted to appoint a third, independent director to the company to ‘break the deadlock’ as tension brews.
Neal’s lawyers are yet to respond to the lawsuit.
If all goes to plan, the Freedom Tour will continue across the US before eventually heading to the UK (Picture: Getty)
This is the latest blow to the band in a series of legal battles over the past four years. In October 2021, Neal filed a lawsuit accusing Jonathan of ‘improperly’ refusing him access to the American Express card to which Jonathan responded saying his spending was ‘out of control’.
Jonathan’s pro-Donald Trump allegiances have also caused issues between the pair, since he is married to the former President’s spiritual advisor Paula White-Cain.
He performed Don’t Stop Believin’ to Donald at Mar-a-Lago and promptly received a cease-and-desist letter from Neal labelling the act ‘deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarises the band’s fans and outreach’.
Jonathan opened up about his politics in an interview with Metro.co.uk earlier this year.
When asked if he saw the convicted felon as an ‘innocent man’ he said: ‘Put it this way, there might have been some misdemeanors. Crimes, as they’re calling it. But yes, I do.’
Jonathan has been vocal about his support for Donald Trump (Picture: Getty)
And reflecting on Trump’s decision to bid for President in the upcoming US election, Jonathan added: ‘I think he’s a fighter. He has a chance. They can’t stop him legally. He can run for president from jail. It will make him a legend.’
Despite the turbulence and high-profile feuds, the band has sold 75 million albums worldwide since its founding and released hits such as Separate Ways and Any Way You Want It.
As the tour tentatively continues Journey will make their way across the States before arriving in the UK this autumn.
Metro.co.uk has reached out to representatives of Journey for comment.
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