This week, six former members of Cradle of Filth filed a lawsuit against frontman Dani Filth, the band’s affiliated business entities and their management company. The plaintiffs list includes Zoë Marie Federoff, Marek “Ashok” Smerda, Lindsay Schoolcraft (aka Lindsay Matheson), Paul Allender, Richard Shaw and Sasha Baxter. They claim the band has continued to allegedly exploit their images and performances after their departures.
The suit was originally filed in Arizona on September 30, 2025, and amended on November 20, according to Metal Injection. The plaintiffs allege that the band and its management engaged in allegedly unauthorized commercial use of their likenesses (including merchandise, vinyl releases, posters and meet-and-greet promotions) without proper permission or compensation.
The complaint also accuses Cradle of Filth of alleged unpaid royalties for live performances and recorded works. In particular, Federoff, Smerda and Schoolcraft claim they never signed agreements allowing their recorded performances to be exploited commercially, yet the band allegedly profited from those recordings. Additional claims include alleged misuse of original artwork (in the case of Schoolcraft’s “sigils”), alleged failure to return or compensate for destroyed or missing equipment and the alleged nonpayment of fees for the group’s final shows together in August.
The plaintiffs are seeking broad relief. They want the defendants to stop selling any merchandise featuring their likenesses and destroy remaining stock, demand compensation and damages for alleged lost income, alleged reputational harm, alleged emotional distress and request that their legal fees be covered. As of publishing time, the defendants have not formally responded to the lawsuit.
Photo credit: Brett Padelford
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