Nine Inch Nails win manager fight
Originally published in BBC News on June 1, 2005
Trent Reznor, singer in US rock band Nine Inch Nails, has been awarded .95m (£1.6m) after a court ruled that his ex-manager defrauded him.
John Malm breached his contract and acted fraudulently, a jury at the Manhattan federal court decided.
Reznor sued him after learning in 2003 he had just 0,000 (£220,000) cash.
Mr Malm said he worked many years for no salary and kept nothing secret from Reznor. Nine Inch Nails have been a major rock band for more than 10 years.
'Close friends'
Reznor said Mr Malm had duped him into signing a contract which gave Mr Malm 20% of his gross earnings rather than his net earnings and enabled him to collect the commission forever.
"I felt I had an accountant I couldn't trust," testified Reznor, who sings, produces and plays instruments in the band.
A lawyer for Mr Malm was unavailable for comment.
Reznor's lawyer, Zia F Modabber, said: "It's been a difficult thing for him in a lot of ways. They were very, very close friends."
Known as an "industrial" rock band due to their mechanical sound, Nine Inch Nails have had transatlantic success including four hits in the UK singles chart. Their latest album With Teeth was released in May.