In music bands, finding the balance between personal and professional relationships can be challenging. As we see in the recent cases of the Guess Who, Journey, and Mötley Crüe, legal disputes can disrupt the bonds between band members. Toto also suffered from a similar situation in 2018 when the late Jeff Porcaro’s widow Susan Porcaro-Goings sued the band, leading to a fallout between Steve Lukather and Steve Porcaro.
Susan sued Lukather and David Paich in 2018. She claimed they were part of a plot to lower her share of the band’s copyright earnings. In her lawsuit, she demanded that they reveal the band’s earnings and asked for a court order to stop Toto from engaging in any more unfair actions. The statement from the case noted:
“Lukather and Paich, the sole directors of Toto Corporation, have refused to account and pay Plaintiff for Jeff’s interest in the Toto name or even acknowledge that Jeff has any interest in the name of the band he created, and continue to fail to pay Plaintiff her share of earnings from the exploitation of Jeff’s music. Plaintiff brings this lawsuit to preserve her late husband’s legacy and his financial interest in the name of the band that he helped make iconic for the benefit of her and Jeff’s sons.”
Lukather’s Take On The Dispute
The situation led the band to stop working together after finishing their tour in 2019. The dispute resulted in a $1 million loss for the band. Later, in a 2021 chat with Smashing Interviews Magazine, Lukather also addressed the lawsuit and said:
“I really don’t want to talk about that anymore. I don’t want to start anything. It got really ugly and ruined a lot of friendships. It makes me sad to think about it. I don’t understand the making-up lies about us on TMZ sh*t. I don’t want to start anything, so I don’t want to say anything. That chapter of my life is closed and welded shut.”
Lukather’s Response To Susan’s Allegations
Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2020, the guitarist explained that he felt unfairly accused by Susan of stealing from her family, something he strongly denied. Lukather also mentioned that Steve Porcaro was angry by saying:
“Steve is pissed off because he was out of the band for 25 years and he didn’t put any money into trying to fight [the lawsuit]. He wanted a part of the [Toto] name for nothing. He didn’t emotionally support us. He didn’t financially support us. Why should he get it for free? And so now he hates my guts, and that makes this even more ugly.”
Porcaro also commented on the issue and stated that the lawsuit wasn’t his doing. When he left Toto in 1987, he gave up his rights to profits from the band’s name. He believes Lukather and others were poorly advised in legal matters. Porcaro thinks the tension might be due to his desire for a share of the band’s profits after rejoining, noting that things have changed since he initially gave up his rights.
