Art of Anarchy have filed a lawsuit against singer Scott Stapp, demanding $1.2 million after, they claim, he refused to tour and promote their 2017 album The Madness.

Creed singer Stapp was hired in place of Scott Weiland, who was also the subject of a lawsuit and countersuit with the band at the time of his death in 2015. The lineup includes former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Disturbed bassist John Moyer. The Madness followed the band's self-titled 2015 debut.

Blabbermouth reports that group leaders Jonathan and Vincent Votta filed their claim against Stapp in New York Supreme Court, via their company Vice Inc., saying they’d paid the singer $200,000 for “services to be rendered.” The guitarist and drummer say Stapp had performed at only 18 concerts, at least 22 less than they wanted from him. He also reportedly failed to appear for a video shoot in October. “Despite Vice’s repeated and specific directions to Stapp, and Vice’s entreaties for cooperation, Stapp repeatedly and continually shirked his contractual obligations,” they said in the paperwork.

The Vottas argue that the band lost its record deal in October following the singer's behavior. “If Stapp had dedicated himself to Art of Anarchy with the same fervor that he dedicated to his solo career, Art of Anarchy would have had a successful concert tour and its record contract would not have been terminated,” they said.

They also pointed out that he had played 80 solo concerts during the year, and that their contract did not prevent him from doing so. His initial hiring, they said, “was understood by all to materially increase the likelihood of commercial success for the band.”

The situation appears similar to the one that led Vice Inc. to earlier sue Weiland. In that case, they said they had advanced the singer $230,000, but he failed to play any shows and live up to other requirements of the deal. Weiland’s countersuit alleged that the band had illegally used his name and image to promote the album on which he appeared. Weiland had called the band “a scam from the beginning.”

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