The Calling sues guitarist Aaron Karmin, alleging that his 'disappearance' has harmed comeback attempts

Earlier today, Music Times reported that Lady Gaga was being sued by producer Teddy Riley over songwriting credits from 2009. Music lawsuits are going back even further however, as The Calling vocalist Alex Band is suing guitarist Aaron Karmin for being a hindrance to the group's comeback (the band last released an album in 2004).

The Calling, in case you've forgotten, had a huge hit in 2001's "Wherever You Will Go," off of its debut album Camino Palmero. The track topped the adult Top 40 chart for 23 consecutive weeks, but the success wasn't enough to keep the band together after its second. Recently Band and his bandmates have looked to enter the studio again and get a new record deal, but have complained that Karmin has virtually "disappeared," and argue as such that any copyright he holds on the group's material has been abandoned.

It's not the first time that Karmin's been absent when the band has needed him. The lawsuit states that during tours in support of Palmero, the guitarist refused to tour, and the group had to replace him with a substitute. Karmin was invited back to record a second album, 2004's Two, but made the process "nightmarish," according to the lawsuit. He finally admitted that he had no interest in continuing with the band, and left prior to its breakup in 2005.

Band and The Calling are launching their lawsuit to counteract the threat of legal action from Karmin, who has made recent claims that touring and recording without him present would be fraudulent to fans, a statement that the band (and we) consider ironic, seeing how rarely he was with the band anyhow.