The Isley Brothers will likely battle it out in court over the group’s name trademark, a judge has ruled.
On Wednesday, the nasty case between Rudolph and Ronald Isley took a turn in Rudolph’s favor when U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin ruled that he would not dismiss Rudolph’s lawsuit against his brother. Ronald previously asked the courts to toss the suit since Rudolph had left the group in 1986, thus relinquishing all control over the group.
In March, Rudolph filed the claim, slamming Ronald for registering the Isley Brother’s name as an individual trademark back in 2021. It was approved last year. Since then, Rudolph argues his brother has been making various money moves. The men stipulated that they would equally divide all proceeds from the singing group, according to the retired Isley sibling. This was supposedly put in place after their other brother and group member, O’Kelly, died the same year Rudolph exited the group.
Rudolph is seeking full transparency of Ronald’s accounting and at least 50 percent of the money generated from music and other Isley Brothers endeavors. Since Ronald’s motion to dismiss was denied, both sides will collect evidence, and a jury trial could happen in the future. Judge Durkin ruled that if Rudolph’s claims are proven valid in court, then he is entitled to the rights to the name, Billboard confirmed. As of now, only Ronald and brother Ernie continue touring and performing as the Isley Brothers.
After this week’s development, Rudolph’s attorney, Brian Caplan, told Billboard that he was “happy that the court denied his brother’s motion to dismiss his complaint” and looks forward to receiving his rightful compensation.
