Billy Joel and Drummer Come to Legal Agreement

By PopEater Staff Posted Apr 23rd 2010 08:51AM

Billy Joel was said to have taken a relaxed attitude towards paying royalties to the people who helped him get to the top. According to Reuters, Liberty Devitto, who was Joel's main drummer from 1975 to 2005, was never paid royalties for the 11 albums he recorded with the piano man, a stretch that included some of Joel's greatest work.

Devitto, who played on some of Joel's charttoppers, including 'The Stranger' and '52nd Street,' filed a lawsuit against the singer in May 2009, alleging that royalty agreements made by Joel were never honored.

This is not the first time Joel's music deals have landed him in hot water. In 1992, songwriter Gary Zimmerman sued the singer, alleging that Joel's hits, including 'We Didn't Start the Fire' and 'River of Dreams,' were based on songs penned by Zimmerman.

Also in 1992, Joel filed a lawsuit against his former lawyers, Allen Grubman and Arthur Indursky, alleging that their law firm conspired with Joel's former financial manager Frank Weber, in mishandling the singer's money.

However, despite the acrimonious nature of the suit between Devitto and Joel, Joel's lawyer, Paul LiCalsi, issued a statement today saying, "The case has been amicably resolved." The terms of the settlement have not been released at this time.