Former Maverick City Music member Chandler Moore has been given the all-clear signal from a federal judge to release independent solo music amid a bitter legal feud with the Grammy-winning worship collective over royalties and contract obligations.
A Thursday (Feb. 5) court ruling rejects Maverick City’s request for an immediate injunction that would have scuttled Moore’s plan to release his first solo single, “God I’m Just Grateful,” on Friday (Feb. 6). Maverick City had argued that Moore is still locked into an exclusive recording deal with its in-house label, TRIBL Records.
Related
But Judge Sarah E. Geraghty said that it’s not yet clear whether Moore fulfilled his 10-song commitment to TRIBL, since he recorded 11 songs in 2024 but only eight were ultimately included on the album Chandler Moore: Live in Los Angeles. A litigant must show that they’re more likely than not to succeed on the merits in order to win an injunction — and the judge thinks there’s still too much uncertainty for Maverick City to meet that threshold.
“I find that TRIBL has not shown at this early stage that the imminent release of ‘God I’m Just Grateful’ would breach the contract,” said Judge Geraghty during a Thursday hearing held via Zoom, adding, “I simply don’t think that the case is quite as simple as TRIBL would make it.”
The judge noted that the decision is subject to change as the case moves along, and the final outcome might “certainly swing the other way going forward depending on what the evidence shows.” In the meantime, she urged the two sides to talk to each other and consider settling the matter amicably.
In a statement to Billboard following the ruling, Moore’s lawyer Chad Elder said the singer “is grateful for the court’s ruling, which denied the defendants’ efforts to prevent him from doing what he loves, providing for his family, and inspiring others.”
“Chandler’s music is more than an artistic expression; it’s a message of hope and inspiration to millions of people who draw faith and strength from his lyrics,” added Elder.
Erik Gaines, the chief strategy officer of Maverick City’s holding company Insignia Assets, said in a statement, “Although we are disappointed with the decision at this preliminary phase, we pursued this relief fully aware of the extraordinary burden required at such an early stage. We remain confident the court will find in our favor when the full case is presented.”
Moore left Maverick City in October and launched a civil fraud lawsuit accusing the group’s chief executive of stealing his composition royalties. Maverick City vehemently denied the claims and countersued Moore, alleging the singer failed to fulfill his contract before his abrupt departure.
The litigation has aired out some intense allegations on both sides. For his part, Moore claims Maverick City’s CEO Norman Gyamfi abused his position of power to siphon off millions of dollars in royalties, including by allegedly forging Moore’s signature on a publishing agreement.
Moore claimed in court papers that the loss of royalties has “severely limited my ability to provide a stable income for myself and my family.” The singer says he’s had to unenroll his two youngest children from school, take out loans and seek staff positions at churches to provide for his family of six.
Maverick City, meanwhile, claims Moore reneged on his songwriting and recording obligations after receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in advances. The group also alleges Moore violated his contract’s morality clause: “Maverick City was repeatedly informed Moore had affairs or engaged in extramarital sexual acts and Maverick City suffered reputational damages as a result,” the group claimed in a countersuit.
This is not Maverick City’s only legal battle at the moment: Co-founder Tony Brown recently brought racketeering claims alleging he was strong-armed into signing an unfavorable buy-out deal. Maverick City denies that and has countersued Brown for launching a different worship choir called God Aura, an alleged violation of his non-compete obligations.
This story was updated on Feb. 5 at 6:50 p.m. ET to add a statement from Maverick City.
