KISS Settles Lawsuit with Former Crew Member After Judge Warns He Could Win a “Big Pot of Money”

David Matthews was a member of Kiss’ road crew, taking care of the band’s hair and wigs for nearly three decades. In 2023, Matthews filed a lawsuit against the band for not following social distancing guidelines during the pandemic. According to the suit, the band forced him to work closely with Gene Simmons while Simmons was ill. Additionally, he claimed that the band’s manager Doc McGhee fired him after reports of the crew’s concerns about the band ignoring restrictions surfaced. Now, after more than a year of litigation, the parties have settled the suit out of court.

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Matthews and Kiss were slated to take the case to trial on January 22. However, lawyers from both sides met with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Armen Tamzarian yesterday (December 6). During their meeting, they announced that the band and their former crewmember had reached a settlement, according to Rolling Stone. Both parties will return to court in March to confirm the settlement.

[RELATED: Judge Tells KISS To Settle Lawsuit With Former Crew Member or Risk Paying “Big Pot of Money”]

Kiss Settles Lawsuit After Judge Issues Statement

Last month Judge Tamzarian spoke to Rolling Stone about the lawsuit. “The first time I saw this lawsuit, it was clear both sides had very serious risks,” he told the publication. He went on to say that the outcome of the suit was almost impossible to predict. “If this goes to trial, it would not surprise me if Mr. Matthews got nothing. I would not surprise me if he made a big pot of money,” Tamzarian said.

“This is the kind of case any rational person would settle,” the judge opined. “There’s big risk this could swing dramatically one way or the other. This is a tough case for plaintiff to win, but if he wins, there deep, deep pockets there, and could be a big result,” he added.

While it was an unpredictable case, the judge stated that Kiss had a weak argument against Matthews’ suit. Their legal team claimed that he was not an employee. Instead, they claimed he was an independent contractor. “I’m not so sure I’m buying that argument,” the judge stated plainly. “Let’s say he had his own hair studio in Beverly Hills and every time they went on tour, they went to him and he fixed up their hair. That’s one thing,” he added. “He didn’t have his own hair studio. He didn’t cut anybody else’s hair. All he did for a couple of years was cut the hair of these guys. He had some side gigs, but they weren’t side gigs in hair,” the judge explained.

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