Kiss and wig roadie tie up loose ends with settlement

After the presiding judge cautioned the band that there would be a “serious risk” if they went ahead, a disagreement between Kiss and a fired wig roadie was resolved out of court. A trial for David Mathews, who had worked with Kiss for thirty years, is scheduled to start this month. He claimed he was wrongfully fired after being mistreated while on tour. However, a court clerk told Rolling Stone on January 6th that the procedure had been postponed and that a hearing to validate the settlement’s unreleased contents will take its place in March. In his six-point complaint, Mathews claimed that he had been compelled to work closely with Gene Simmons while subject to COVID exposure regulations. Additionally, he stated that manager Doc McGhee sacked him because he was found to have given the media information on the band’s health security protocols. Following the 2021 mid-tour death of another crewman, Fran Stueber, from COVID, those measures were the focus of conjecture. Among those who had spoken to reporters, Mathews had denied being one of them.

If this goes to trial, it would not surprise me if Mr. Mathews got nothing. It would not surprise me if he made a big pot of money. This is the kind of case any rational person would settle. There’s a big risk this could swing dramatically one way or the other. If Mr. Mathews manages to win, there are deep, deep pockets there, and there could be a big result. Lawyers, you’re both overconfident in your positions. L.A. County Superior Court Judge Armen Tamzarian