Former LINKIN PARK bassist Kyle Christner has filed a lawsuit against the renowned Los Angeles nu-metal band, alleging that he has not been rightfully credited or compensated for his involvement in their early demo recordings
Despite his contribution to over 20 LINKIN PARK songs, Christner claims to have received no payment for his role in the band.
The disputed tracks were part of LINKIN PARK‘s 20th-anniversary “Hybrid Theory” box set, released in 2020, which included the band’s 1999 EP wherein Christner participated, along with rare and previously unreleased songs categorized as ‘Forgotten Demos,’ ‘B-Side Rarities,’ and ‘LPU Rarities.’ Christner asserts that he was instrumental in creating several of these songs, notably the previously unreleased ‘Could Have Been.’
“Though Christner was once under the misimpression that his bass parts were re-recorded on the EP after he left the band, he has, upon closer review, identified his bass playing on the edition of the EP included in the box set”, the lawsuit states.
“In fact, Christner appears to have played on at least tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 of Forgotten Demos, tracks 1, 2, 7, 13, 14, 16, 17 of LPU Rarities, and track 7 of B-Side Rarities, as well as the Hybrid Theory EP,” adds the lawsuit, which was filed in US District Court for the Central District Of California on Wednesday (November 8).
Christner‘s legal pursuit aims to secure recognition for his contributions and a just portion of the earnings from the songs he participated in. He’s also pushing for long-overdue royalties stemming from his past involvement. The suit lists LINKIN PARK members Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson, and Joseph Hahn, along with their record label Warner Records and management company Machine Shop, as defendants.
“It would be unjust for defendants to retain such benefit without paying plaintiff his fair share,” the claim notes.
