Isley Brothers headed to trial in family dispute over name

(September 1, 2023) This is the kind of family matter that no one wants to hear about, but brothers Ronald Isley and Rudolph Isley appear to be headed to trial in a dispute over the rights to the Isley Brothers name.

Back in March, Rudolph Isley filed suit against Ronald, claiming joint ownership of the Isley Brothers name following the 1986 death of the third brother and group co-founder, O’Kelly. The suit asserts improper continuing use of the name by Ronald without paying Rudolph, who retired from the group more than three decades ago. See the legal filings

The judge overseeing the matter, Thomas Durkin, has repeatedly requested that the brothers work to reach an amicable settlement, warning that “this is no way to live the rest of your lives.” However, the sides are at an impasse, and yesterday the judge ordered the matter to trial, with legal discovery ending on September 11, and a full trial possibly as early as this Fall.

The heart of the dispute is not only ownership of the group name, but whether compensation is owed to Rudolph as a partial owner for the band's continuing work, even though he has not toured or recorded with the group since 1986. Ronald Isley’s counsel has asserted that only active members of the group should share in new concert and merchandise earnings.

If there is any case where family members should resolve their dispute outside of the limelight, this is it. Unfortunately, it appears that their dispute will be litigated in a public forum, where the biggest loser could be the Isley family itself. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.