Boy George 'facing bankruptcy' after £1.75m legal row with ex-Culture Club star
Boy George is reportedly facing bankruptcy after a £1.75million damages claim brought by a former Culture Club bandmate.
The I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! 2022 star, 61, reached an out-of-court settlement with ex-drummer Jon Moss in March this year after being sued for a loss of earnings.
Mr Moss, 65, had previously brought legal action against Boy George (real name George O'Dowd), guitarist Roy Hay and bassist Michael Craig, after allegedly being 'expelled' by their manager in September 2018 after 37 years playing together.
A six-day trial due to start last month was set to determine the value of the Culture Club name, the profits made by the band since Mr Moss’s alleged expulsion, and the amount he might be entitled to receive.
However, a court order issued on March 21 said that the group had agreed that a judgment should be made in favour of Mr Moss, with his ex-bandmates required to pay him £1.75 million immediately.
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The order approved by Mrs Justice Joanna Smith said that Mr Moss had agreed to “relinquish” any right to the Culture Club name and its use, including in connection with concerts and merchandise.
Boy George and Jon Moss pictured with Culture Club bandmates Roy Hay and Mikey Craig in 2016 (Getty Images North America)Mr Moss has now now applied to London's High Court for a Bankruptcy Petition against Mr O'Dowd, aka Boy George, according to The Sun.
The reported move could see Boy George's forced to sell his assets in order to repay his debts.
The Mirror have approached representatives for Boy George for comment on this story.
Culture Club formed in the 1980s and have sold tens of millions of records. They are best known for their hits Do You Really Want to Hurt me and Karma Chameleon.
After the first dissolution of Culture Club in 1986, Boy George pursued a solo career before reuniting with the band once again for multiple tours and anniversary celebrations.
Mr Moss [pictured second from the right] accused Boy George of 'conspiring to defraud' him over tour money (Getty Images)The singer enjoyed a stint in the Australian jungle last year, where he was reportedly paid around £500,000 for appearing on the ITV reality TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Last year, the court was told that Mr Moss was amending his legal challenge to include allegations that Boy George "conspired to defraud" him over the Life Tour money, after he learnt that funds were released to a US company, You Give Me Life, Inc (YGML), following the settlement of legal proceedings in America in January 2021.
YGML and another English company, Other Places Drama LLP (OPD) – both said to be Boy George’s personal service companies – had brought proceedings against Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) in California claiming to be entitled to the money it held.
Boy George said the allegations were 'entirely untrue' (Getty Images)Mr Moss had originally launched litigation seeking a court declaration that the outstanding balance money was being held for him by APA, acting as his agent.
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The drummer claimed that Boy George, YGML and/or OPD, were allegedly in breach of the "deal memo" that he said meant each band member would receive a fee of 600,000 dollars (£491,000) for up to 80 concerts on the Life Tour.
Boy George previously accused Mr Moss of making a "personal attack on me" and "the most unfounded and hurtful allegations", which were "entirely untrue".
The court was also previously told that Mr Moss had racked up £1 million in legal costs, with his lawyers accusing his former bandmates of appearing “determined to keep (him) out of sums to which he is entitled, reflecting decades of service for the band, for as long as possible”.
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