Yes, Lindsey Buckingham Is Actually Suing Fleetwood Mac After Firing

Lindsey Buckingham Jimmy Kimmel Live!

For the most part, Lindsey Buckingham kept quiet during his public fallout with Fleetwood Mac. After he was ousted by the band, reportedly based on Stevie Nicks' strong-handing decision, the musician stayed out of the media spotlight, opting instead to focus on his music -- particularly as he was swiftly preparing for his solo tour, which he's currently embarked upon opposite Fleetwood Mac's own tour away from Buckingham's involvement. But Lindsey Buckingham has made one thing perfectly clear: he's not happy with the decision. If recent reports are to be believed, he will seek retribution.

How exactly is Lindsey Buckingham planning on sticking it to Fleetwood Mac? By suing the band. According to NBC News, the former lead guitarist of Fleetwood Mac is taking the band to court because he believes they screwed him out of $12 million in tour money, at least, when they gave him the boot earlier this year. Buckingham claims the band he has been involved with for 33 years (on and off) became "one of the most successful bands" in rock 'n' roll history thanks to his musical influence, and Buckingham evidently believes he isn't being compensated accordingly based on the decision to kick him out.

The suit lists Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. In the legal document, Lindsey Buckingham reportedly lists all of his contributions to the group and he wants to be received the financial compensation he believes he is owed as his former group continues onward with the new tour.

While Lindsey Buckingham has kept his head low and seemed pretty cool about the whole decision, Fleetwood Mac fans probably knew it was only a matter of time before Buckingham was expected to reveal his true feelings about the matter. Sure enough, with both the solo artist and the iconic band he was once a part of in the midst of touring, Buckingham might arguably be using this time away from the band to help drum up media attention for himself.

The lawsuit isn't listing any specific damages, but it claims the decision to fire Lindsey Buckingham was a breach in contract, as well as a breach in fiduciary duty along with other violations. It was filed on Tuesday shortly before Buckingham's new interview with Rolling Stone aired his grievances with the group over their decision, which he claimed was Stevie Nicks' doing. She reportedly gave the group an "ultimatum" between her and Buckingham.

During that profile piece, Lindsey Buckingham said the following words about his dismissal from Fleetwood Mac. In short, he believes it goes against everything they stand for as a band, and he believes it breaks the illusion that through thick-and-thin, the iconic band keeps the rickety chain together:

The one thing that does bother me and breaks my heart is we spent 43 years always finding a way to rise above our personal differences and our difficulties to pursue and articulate a higher truth. That is our legacy. That is what the songs are about. This is not the way you end something like this.

Suffice to say, tensions between Lindsey Buckingham and the remaining members of Fleetwood Mac may only get more intense, which could be a disappointing thing for fans to hear -- particularly the ones who were hoping they would eventually put aside their differences and learn to work together again. Perhaps that time will come in the not-too-distant future. For now, it's apparent that Buckingham isn't going his own way quietly.

Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.