Days before his abrupt exit, Maverick City Music co-founder Chandler Moore sued the group’s chief executive for allegedly stealing millions of dollars’ worth of royalties from him.
Moore’s lawyers filed the civil fraud lawsuit in Atlanta federal court last Wednesday, Oct. 1, Billboard reported. This was five days before Moore announced that he was leaving Maverick City Music to pursue a solo career.
The lawsuit names several corporate figures, including Norman Gyamfi. He was Moore’s manager before Gyamfi bought an ownership stake in Maverick City Music and later became the collective’s CEO in 2023, according to Billboard.
Moore has claimed that Gyamfi stole millions of dollars from him through various forms of wrongdoing dating back to 2021. In one example, Moore accused Gyamfi of forging the singer’s signature on a co-publishing deal that secretly directed Essential Music Publishing, Sony’s Christian music publishing division, to pay all Moore’s songwriting royalties directly to Maverick City Music instead of him.
“Moore reposed great trust and confidence in and accepted Gyamfi’s guidance in his business and financial decisions,” the lawsuit reads, per Billboard. “Gyamfi, however, abused his power and the trust that Moore bestowed upon him.”
Moore was one of two members to announce their departure from the Grammy Award-winning Christian gospel group on Monday, Oct. 6. He and Naomi Raine both explained their reasoning behind their departures while also emphasizing that they will continue to make music on their own.
“These last two years I’ve been locked in on what really matters…in my life and my career,” Moore wrote in an Instagram post. “It’s been scary at times, but it’s also been full of fresh vision and real excitement about the future. With that, I’ve made the bittersweet decision to end my relationship with Maverick City Music. When we started Mav, I was grateful to have community and belonging while fulfilling my dream of making music that would help people experience God. And we did that…in ways I couldn’t have imagined.”
He continued, “My dream hasn’t changed. I’m stepping into this next phase ready to share my story and make music that helps people feel a little more human, a little more understood, and a little less alone.”
Raine also shared her official statement in an Instagram post as well.
“After a lot of prayer and consideration, I’ve decided that now is the best time to share that I am no longer a part of Maverick City Music,” she wrote.
“Being a part of Mav truly changed my life! What started as a group of folks singing in a shed has turned into something I could’ve never even imagined!…And now I believe God has given me the green light to step into what He’s calling me to do individually. Still writing. Still singing. Still worshipping and leading others in worship – just on my own,“ Raine continued. ”This isn’t really an ending, but a new beginning. A new chapter. I’m excited about the music, the ministry, and the purpose ahead. God’s not done yet.”
Maverick City Music debuted in 2019 with the back-to-back extended plays “Maverick City, Vol. 1″ and “Maverick City, Vol. 2.” The collective gained further success and praise in 2021 mostly due to the hit singles “Jireh,” ”Talking to Jesus” and “Wait on You“ as well as the albums “Move Your Heart,” “Old Church Basement“ and ”Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition.”
Maverick City Music won their first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for “Old Church Basement” in 2022. The group’s other accolades include four more Grammys, five GMA Dove Awards, one Billboard Music Award, and one Soul Train Music Award.
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