The Fray band members sue manager over copyrights to songs

The Fray sues manager over copyrights to songs

DENVER — The Fray songwriting duo of Joseph King and Isaac Slade on Monday filed a lawsuit against their manager over the copyrights to their songs.

King and Slade, who wrote the 2005 hits “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How to Save a Life,” and the current hit “You Found Me,” say manager Gregg Latterman’s company obtained partial ownership of their songs when the band members signed a publishing agreement in July 2005.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court says Latterman told the band members that his company, Evanston, Ill.-based Gregg Alan Corp., was only getting a finders fee. Instead, the band alleges Latterman’s company obtained ownership to a portion of the composers’ music through the agreement.

Latterman did not immediately return a message left at his office after business hours.

The lawsuit says fellow band members David Welsh and Benjamin Wysocki are entitled to a portion of King and Slade’s publishing income. King, Slade and Welsh are from Denver, while Wysocki is from San Francisco.

Latterman’s company has earned about $2.1 million from his representation of the band, with at least an additional $700,000 stemming from the publishing agreement.

The lawsuit alleges that Latterman failed to disclose his interest in King and Slade’s publishing agreement.

The band “would not have been deprived of valuable assets and income that should rightly be theirs but for defendants’ fraud,” the lawsuit said.