Former Drummer Sues Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

Ariel Marcus Rosenberg aka Ariel Pink performs on stage with drummer, Aaron Sperske, during Coachella Valley Music Festival on April 15, 2011.

Aaron Sperske, former drummer for Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, is suing the band for pushing him out, reports Entertainment Law Digest.

Sperske's suit claims that he and the three current members of the band had formed an "oral partnership" in 2008 in which the musicians would write songs together and share equally in the band's profits and expenses. He says that the four band members co-wrote the 12 songs on the forthcoming album, Mature Themes, and that he had performed "diligently and competently" as part of the band before the others tried to kick him out in May.

Sperske is claiming now that his ouster from the band was in violation of their partnership agreement. In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, Sperske is seeking $1 million in punitive damages, as well as a declaration from the band stating that he is still a partner in Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, and therefore entitled to a share of its profits from royalties and performances.

Mature Themes is due out on August 21st and the band kicks off a North American tour in Austin on September 7th. 

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