Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the band's co-founding guitarist Neal Schon. The case, which revolves around Schon's alleged misappropriation of the band's funds via an American Express account, claims Schon billed $400,000 to the group's shared company in December alone.
Cain's allegations against Schon blame the guitarist's supposed exorbitant over-spending as the reason for his unapproved use of Journey's corporate account to fund his “lavish” lifestyle.
According to Billboard:
On January 13th, Cain's attorneys wrote in the new complaint: “Schon’s use of the (shared) Amex card for personal expenses created serious liquidity problems for the band, as the Amex balance had to be paid every month, and there were insufficient revenues to pay for other expenses as Schon saddled Journey with over $1 million of his personal expenses.”
Cain’s countersuit included a number of specific allegations about Schon’s spending habits. Once given access to the band Amex, Cain says Schon promptly spent over $100,000 in January 2022. Then in March, he allegedly spent a whopping $400,000 in charges at Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City and other retailers.
At the end of a recent tour, Cain says Schon demanded suites at a Hawaiian hotel that cost north of $5,000 per night, then stayed a week longer than necessary and racked up more than $100,000 more in charges on the card.
Journey — with special guests Toto — will kick off its 50th anniversary tour on January 27th and 28th in Durant, Oklahoma at Choctaw Casino & Resort. Both Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain will be performing with the band.