Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley and his former manager, Greig Nori, are locked in a legal battle over serious accusations.
Nori and Whibley’s public dispute has now escalated to the courts. As per SooToday, Nori filed a libel lawsuit against Whibley and his memoir’s publisher, Simon & Schuster LLC, seeking damages for what he says are false accusations. Whibley countersued Nori in response, seeking $3 million in damages for defamation. Whibley claims Nori’s public denial has painted him as a liar.
Whibley claims that Nori, who also fronted the band Treble Charger, verbally and sexually abused him during the early years of Sum 41’s career. These allegations came to light in Whibley’s recently released memoir named ‘Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell.’
In the memoir, Whibley alleges that Nori groomed him by using their close professional relationship to take control of his life and career. According to Whibley, their relationship began when he was 16 and Nori was 34. Whibley says Nori also warned him not to trust anyone else in the music business. “Greig had one requirement to be our manager: he wanted total control,” Whibley wrote. “We couldn’t talk to anyone but him, because the music business is ‘full of snakes and liars’ and he was the only person we could trust.”
Whibley recalls a disturbing incident when he was 18. He says Nori kissed him in a bathroom stall while encouraging him to take ecstasy. Whibley also claims that Nori manipulated him into continuing physical encounters, accusing him of being homophobic and claiming their connection was unique. The physical relationship ended, Whibley says, when a mutual friend confronted both of them, pointing out that what was happening was abusive.
Whibley gave an interview to the Los Angeles Times after sharing these in his memoir and talked about how he is still coming to terms with what happened. He explained that it wasn’t until he reached his 30s, the same age Nori was during their relationship, that he realized the extent of the power imbalance.
Nori, however, denies the allegations. In a statement to the Toronto Star, he claimed that Whibley initiated their relationship and that it was consensual. He denied pressuring Whibley or accusing him of homophobia, saying their relationship simply ‘faded out’ while their professional partnership continued.
Whibley addressed Nori directly in a video posted to his social media account, saying, “I stand behind every word that’s in my book, 100 percent.” He challenged Nori to face him in court, under oath, to settle the matter.
The legal proceedings begin, and Nori has been suspended from his projects with the Algoma Conservatory of Music while an internal review is conducted.
Sum 41, meanwhile, is in the middle of their farewell tour. It will end in Toronto on January 30. The band will also be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Juno Awards on March 30.
