HACKENSACK, N.J. (CN) - The original drummer for the rock group My Chemical Romance says the band cheated him of royalties from its first album and won't show him the books. Matthew Pelissier sued his former bandmates and Eyeball Records, which distributed the album "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love."
Pelissier said he has not been paid for his work on the album since October 2004, one month after leaving the band. According to Nielsen SoundScan, more than 285,000 copies of the album had been sold as of January.
Pellissier says that when he left the band he was granted "an undivided twenty percent income interest in the group masters."
He claims that a clause in the agreement stating that he "shall have no direct audit or inspection rights against Eyeball or any third party," is "not valid or enforceable."
He also sued current band members Gerald Way, Raymond Toro, Frank Iero and Michael Way, and the band itself.
Pellissier says Eyeball owes the band additional royalties from digital sales of songs and music videos sold through iTunes that were not part of the original agreement. He is represented by Nicholas Schillaci of Paterson, N.J.
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