Hi Paul, the detailed answer to your question is long and complicated but here's the short answer from my understanding.Troy, what was the result of the lawsuit? I hear references to it all the time, but I don't think I've ever heard what exactly the verdict was. Or is it still ongoing?
There were 2 lawsuits at different times, both were about exactly the same issues. The first lawsuit against Jet/Don Arden for unpaid performance royalties from both albums and credits for performance and production on DOAM was heard in 1986 at the High Court in London. Towards the end of the hearing, Don Arden wanted to settle out of court. The lawyers acting for Bob and Lee advised them to settle as Don Arden was said to be in poor health and on the brink of bankruptcy. Bob and Lee took their lawyers' advice and settled for a sum that was less than what the agreed performance royalties would have been up to that point because they believed that future performance royalties would be paid at the agreed rate, and that the performance credits on DOAM would be corrected. That didn't happen. Over the years that followed, they tried several times to find out where their performance royalties were going but got nowhere.
Fast forward to the late '90s when Bob and Lee finally found out that Sharon had bought Ozzy's catalogue in '83 from her father Don Arden/Jet and had been pocketing their performance royalties ever since. At that point they sought legal advice and the lawsuit for unpaid performance royalties from both albums and credits for performance and production on DOAM got underway against the Osbournes in the US.
After gaining ground through every level of the complicated court system in the US, Bob and Lee were finally denied a hearing by the Supreme Court because of a technicality, the Statute of Limitations, too much time had elapsed. Bob and Lee were denied their day in court. Finito.
That, in my opinion, is a travesty of justice. Steven Machat said in his book that Bob and Lee were 'royally screwed' and I agree.