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Beach Boys Songs Written Decades Ago Triggered Current Quarrel With Lawyers
The root of the lawyer/client dispute was established 60 years ago, when Beach Boys band members Brian Wilson and Mike Love began co-writing such group hits as "I Get Around," "Help Me, Rhonda" and "California Girls." In 1989, Wilson sued Almo Irving Music over rights to dozens of these songs that the music publisher had procured in 1969 from Brian's father and Beach Boys manager Murry Wilson, who owned the music group's Sea of Tunes song catalog. Wilson won a $10 million settlement in the Almo Irving litigation.
Mike Love, who hadn't been formally credited as a co-author for songs he worked on with Wilson, then sued Wilson and Almo Irving, resulting in a 1994 jury verdict and parties' settlement agreement that gave Love $5 million, as well as co-writer credit and future songwriting royalties on 35 compositions.
In 1992, Love entered into an agreement to retain lawyers Michael J. Flynn and Phillip H. Stillman to serve, on a contingency fee basis, as Love's counsel in his litigation against Wilson. After the 1994 verdict/settlement, the Love/Flynn-Stillman agreement was updated to provide the lawyers with a 30% share of the $5 million their client had won and from Love's future co-writer royalties from the 35 songs.
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