Tommy Lee Wins Roller-Coaster Drums Lawsuit
A judge has ruled that Tommy Lee's 360-degree roller-coaster drums were based on his original concept. According to TMZ, the Motley Crue drummer designed the kit, which an engineer claimed was stolen from his 20-year-old idea.
Back in 2012, Los Angeles-based engineer Howard Scott King filed a lawsuit against Lee, whom he claimed stole his original design for a 360-degree, puke-inducing vertical roller coaster drum kit. Lee debuted the set -- on which he actually played part of his solo upside down -- in 2011.
King said that he pitched the idea to Lee in 1991. Lee, and the Crue's legal team, claimed that they never heard from the engineer. They also argued that King’s model for the set, which included coaster tracks all over the stage, looked nothing like Lee's stationary drum ring.
According to TMZ, the judge had determined that King -- who was reportedly seeking $400,000 in damages -- never owned exclusive rights to the roller-coaster drums concept and that Lee had created his rig.
Either way, Lee apparently retired the set-up last May, when Motley Crue wrapped a tour in Atlantic City at the Trump Taj Mahal. “A bottle of champagne smashed on the coaster last night as it sets sail for the scrap yard!” Lee said at the time. Still, he tweeted sometime later, “Don't you all worry! Just wait til ya see what crazy I got for ya next!”