Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley and former manager-producer and Treble Charger vocalist Greig Nori have both taken legal action against one another after Whibley detailed instances of alleged verbal and sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by Nori in his recent Walking Disaster memoir.
Sault Ste. Marie’s SooToday.com reports that court documents recently filed by Nori show that he’s claiming libel and seeking damages over Whibley’s sharing of the account in his book. He’s also named publishers Simon & Schuster LLC as defendants in the case.
Meanwhile, Whibley has countersued Nori, seeking $3 million in damages after Nori publicly accused him of lying about the allegations in the book. The singer filed a defamation suit against Nori for “placing the plaintiff in a false light.”
What Deryck Whibley Claimed About Greig Nori In His Memoir
Within the book, the Whibley alleged that Nori, who was Sum 41’s first manager, had groomed him, both sexually and verbally abusing him for years. The singer told the Los Angeles Times the two musicians first met when he was 16 and Nori was 34.
They first crossed paths when Whibley snuck backstage at a Treble Charger show and invited Nori to come see his band. The Sum 41 singer says a friendship sparked where he began to ask Nori band and music-related questions and Nori became a songwriting mentor before coming on board as the band’s first manager.
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“Greig had one requirement to be our manager — he wanted total control,” Whibley wrote in the book. “We couldn’t talk to anyone but him, because the music business is ‘full of snakes and liars’ and he was the only person we could trust.”
The singer says the relationship changed though when he was 18 and got intoxicated at a rave. In the book, Whibley details Nori allegedly asking him to come to a bathroom stall to drop a hit of ecstasy before grabbing his face and passionately kissing him.
The singer says he was stunned by the advance, but says that Nori reasoned that while he’d never experience same-sex attraction before, [Whibley] “brought it out in him because what [they] had was so special.” Whibley also says in the book that Nori also told Whibley that what they were doing was worth exploring as “so many of my rock star idols were queer.”
Whibley says that he attempted to end the physical encounters with Nori, but the manager would turn the tables on him, calling him homophobic, revealing why Whibley “owed” him and accusing the musician of actually allowing the relationship to start.
In the book, Whibley reveals that the sexual side of the relationship with Nori came to an end when a mutual friend had learned what had happened and confronted both of them about the relationship constituting abuse.
How Greig Nori Responded
After the revelation came to light in the book and in Whibley’s Los Angeles Times interview, Nori issued a statement of his own to the Toronto Star.
“The accusation that I initiated the relationship is false. I did not initiate it. Whibley initiated it, aggressively,” said the producer.
“When the relationship began Whibley was an adult, as was I,” Nori also wrote. “The accusation that I pressured Whibley to continue the relationship is false. The accusation that I pressured Whibley to continue the relationship by accusing him of homophobia is false. Ultimately the relationship simply faded out. Consensually. Our business relationship continued.”
After hearing of Nori’s response, Whibley countered with a challenge of his own to Nori to settle it all in court.
“I take no pleasure in coming out with the truth that came out between me and my ex-manager, but it was something that I couldn’t keep in anymore and I had to let it out,” said the singer in a video posted to his X social media account.
“It’s come to my attention that Greig Nori has now called me a liar,” said Whibley, letting out an audible sigh before continuing. “I tell you right now I stand behind every word that’s in my book, 100 percent.”
“I’m not a liar and I’m going to speak to you directly, Greig Nori,” he continued. “If you think I’m a liar, there’s only one way to settle this … under oath … in front of a judge, in front of a jury, any time you want. I’m ready whenever you are.”
According to SooToday.com, while court documents have been filed, neither side has filed statements as of yet. Meanwhile, Nori has been suspended from all projects related to his work with the Algoma Conservatory of Music while an internal review is conducted.
Sum 41 are currently in the midst of the final leg of their farewell tour. The band will wrap the run of their native Canada on Jan. 30 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. They’ll also appear on March 30 at Canada’s Juno Awards where they are being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Tickets for remains shows can be found through the band’s website.
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Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire
