Together, the duo of Daryl Hall and John Oates were one of the biggest hits machines of the early ’80s, and they remain a huge draw on the nostalgia circuit. But Hall and Oates have apparently been going through some kind of mysterious behind-the-scenes legal issue lately, and the dispute has evidently gotten bad enough that Hall now has a restraining order against Oates.

Daryl Hall and John Oates have broken up and reunited a number of times over the years, and they’ve had a business-partner arrangement for a while. As Philadelphia reports, Hall filed a lawsuit against Oates in Nashville chancery court last week. It’s a contract suit, but the actual contents of the legal complaint are under seal. Variety reports that Hall also filed a temporary restraining order against Oates. That restraining order was granted, and it’s set to begin 11/30.

Last year, Daryl Hall went on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast and said a few possibly-dismissive things about John Oates: “You think John Oates is my partner?… He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner.” Hall was indeed the lead singer and main songwriter for his records with John Oates, but Oates’ presence was somehow essential, and Hall’s solo records rarely did as well as the ones that he made with Oates. As recently as last fall, Hall and Oates were still playing live shows together.

Hall recently relaunched his Live From Daryl’s House web series, and he reunited with old collaborator Robert Fripp earlier this week.

UPDATE: The dispute apparently relates to Oates’ plan to sell his stake in the duo’s joint venture to Primary Wave.