Mötley Crüe has prevailed in its long-running legal dispute with former guitarist Mick Mars, with a final arbitration award fully upholding the band’s contracts and business agreements.

Sources close to the case say the arbitrator ruled entirely in the band’s favor, confirming that Mars forfeited his right to touring revenue when he stopped touring in 2022—an outcome tied to an amendment Mars himself reportedly requested and added to the band’s governing agreement in 2008. The ruling also rejected his demand for continued touring income despite no longer performing live.

Under the final award, Mars is ordered to repay more than $750,000 in unrecouped tour advances and is removed as an officer and director of the band for legal cause. The decision effectively vindicates Mötley Crüe on legal, financial, and factual grounds.

The dispute originated from Mars’s lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he alleged the band attempted to strip him of his status as a significant stakeholder through a shareholders’ meeting. The arbitrator, however, sided with the band, reiterating that Mars forfeited touring revenue by ceasing to tour.

Mars, who has been open about living with ankylosing spondylitis, announced his retirement from touring in October 2022 due to health issues, before later filing suit. In response to claims that the band was not fully playing live on its 2022 tour, Nikki Sixx acknowledged the use of pre-recorded vocals and loops but maintained that all musicians performed live, calling Mars’s allegations false.

Born Robert Alan Deal, Mars was Mötley Crüe’s lead guitarist from the band’s formation in 1981 and co-wrote several of their best-known songs. The ruling carries broader implications for band governance and touring rights, underscoring the legal frameworks that protect the operations and legacy of long-running acts like Mötley Crüe.