Maverick City Music co-founder Chandler Moore has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the chief executive officer of diverting millions of dollars in royalties. The lawsuit filing comes days before Moore announced his departure.
In a statement posted to Instagram Oct. 6, Chandler Moore, 30, announced his departure from Maverick City, writing: “These last two years I’ve been locked in on what really matters…in my life and my career.”
“It’s been scary at times, but it’s also been full of fresh vision and real excitement about the future,” he continued. “With that, I’ve made the bittersweet decision to end my relationship with Maverick City Music. When we started Mav, I was grateful to have community and belonging while fulfilling my dream of making music that would help people experience God. And we did that…in ways I couldn’t have imagined.”
Filed (Oct 1) in U.S. District Court in Atlanta and obtained by Billboard, the lawsuit alleges that CEO Norman Gyamfi, who once managed Moore, misused his position to take ownership stakes, commissions and publishing rights without Moore’s knowledge or consent.
According to court documents, reviewed by USA TODAY, lawyers for Moore allege that Gyamfi and his “corporate alter egos” entered deals without the artist’s knowledge, forged his signature, and misappropriated “millions of dollars” of royalties that the singer was due.
The complaint further alleges that in 2022, Gyamfi instructed Sony’s Christian publishing division, Essential Music Publishing, to send Moore’s royalties to Maverick City Music instead of to Moore directly.
Moore’s attorney, Sam Lipshie of the firm Bradley Arant, said in a statement that the singer had been taken advantage of by people he trusted. “We are fully committed to helping Chandler recover what is rightfully his,” Lipshie said, “and assist him in moving forward freely to continue building the even-brighter, impactful career that lies ahead for him.