Friday May 04 08:57 PM EDT

Don Felder Seeking More Than $200 Million For Eagles Firing

(5/4/01, 6 p.m. ET) -- Guitarist Don Felder is seeking damages in excess of $200 million as a result of his firing from the Eagles earlier this year. Felder's suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday (May 2), alleges that Eagles mainstays Don Henley and Glenn Frey have engaged in "despicable conduct" for years, and that the duo, along with Eagles manager Irving Azoff, has conspired to cheat Felder and Eagles members Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit out of their rightful earnings, although Azoff is not listed as a defendant at this time. Felder is seeking damages of "not less than $50 million" for breach of contract, "not less than $50 million" for wrongful termination, and "in excess of $50 million" for breach of fiduciary duty. He also asks the court to award him punitive damages "in an amount sufficient to punish" Henley and Frey, as well as Eagles, Ltd. Felder further seeks money he says is owed him from the assorted Eagles business dealings, and a fair market price for his shares in the Eagles-related companies, in addition to attorney's fees and court costs.

Felder, who says he was an equal partner and shareholder in Eagles, Ltd., claims that Henley and Frey began abusing him in 1994 on the Hell Freezes Over tour, when new business entities were formed that gave Henley and Frey a majority position. When he protested, Felder was told to "take it or leave it" and was threatened with firing.

Felder further alleges that several of the group's business dealings in the past 10 years have been compromised by outside interests. Among other things, he says the Hell Freezes Over album was placed with Geffen Records to help satisfy Henley's legal battles with the label; that Azoff and Peter Lopez, Frey's personal attorney, were paid to act as tour promoters, rather than having independent promoters bid on the project; and that the merchandizing licensing fee for the Hell Freezes Over tour was "substantially below the market price."

The suit goes on to say that "the greed of Henley and Frey became more insatiable with each new project." They formed yet another company to handle the business dealings related to the Eagles boxed set Selected Works: 1972-1999, and that this new company totally excluded Felder, Walsh, and Schmit from an ownership stake. When Felder once again complained, he was sent a letter by Azoff that said he was out of the Eagles, which led him to sign the papers under duress.

Felder adds that this new business entity also was charged with negotiating contracts for up to five Eagles recordings--four new studio albums and a live collection from the millennium concerts the band played in December 1999. The filing alleges that the millennium album was placed with Giant Records as a way to pacify Warner Bros. due to the long wait for Henley's most recent solo album, Inside Job. Warner Bros. and Azoff were co-owners of Giant at the time, and Azoff recently sold his stake in the label to Warner Bros. The millennium album has yet to be released as a separate collection, but music from those shows is featured on the fourth disc of the Selected Works set. Felder claims that he's been denied access to the business and financial records relating to the Eagles, which he was entitled to as a partner in Eagles, Ltd. and the other companies that followed. Felder also claims that in early February, he fired his attorney Barry Tyerman on orders from Henley, Frey, and Azoff in order to avoid being terminated from the group. Nevertheless, he was told on February 6 that his employment would be terminated, which became official on April 10.

-- Bruce Simon, New York