Last week saw the dispiriting news that Daryl Hall had taken out a restraining order against his longtime musical partner John Oates, which we later learned was related to Oates’ plan to sell off his share of their joint venture. New legal filings this week shed further light on the intense antagonism between the former hit-making duo.

As Billboard reports, in the paperwork Hall says he was “blindsided” by Oates’ move to sell his stake in Whole Oates Enterprises, LLP to Primary Wave, the music publisher that already bought a large stake in the Hall & Oates catalog 16 years ago. Hall learned of Oates’ plan in October. He describes it as an “ambush,” a “betrayal, and a “completely clandestine and bad faith move in blatant violation” of their agreement, which he said requires full consent from both partners.

“John Oates and the Co-Trustees engaged in the ultimate partnership betrayal. They surreptitiously sought to sell half of the WOE assets without obtaining my written approval,” Hall writes. Elsewhere, he adds, “Respectfully, he must be stopped from this latest wrongdoing and his malicious conduct reined in once and for all.”

Hall says Oates’ actions have caused “tremendous upheaval, harm, and difficulty in my life,” and tacks on a fairly intense accusation: “I believe that John Oates timed the unauthorized transaction to create the most harm to me.” He says these business maneuvers are part of a broader “divorce” from Oates, who has been “adversarial and aggressive” in his attempts to “burden and harass me.”

More from Hall regarding the potential of partnering with Primary Wave, which he has “no intention” of doing:

The potential of being forced into a partnership with Primary Wave without my consent is incredibly upsetting. There is no amount of money that could compensate me for being forced to partner with an entity that I did not agree to partner with, and whose business model does not comport with my views regarding the WOE assets. The harm is unimaginable.

And more:

Primary Wave is a company that brands itself as having a strong focus on exploiting not only copyrights but the trademarks and name and likeness rights of the artists from whom they purchase catalogue rights. If Primary Wave becomes my partner they … will likely have a goal to use the WOE assets, and my name and likeness, for branding and exploitations.

Property at stake in the sale includes the band’s trademarks, their personal name and likeness rights, their record royalty income, and “certain HO social media and related website assets.” Hall & Oates’ songwriting copyrights are owned by a separate company, Hot Cha Music, LLP, and are not part of this potential sale.

In his own court filing, Oates writes that he’s “tremendously disappointed” in Hall’s “inflammatory, outlandish, and inaccurate statements about me.” Citing confidentiality agreements, he offers far fewer details in his own statement. “I can only say that Daryl’s accusations that I breached our agreement, went ‘behind’ his back, ‘acted in bad faith,’ and the like, are not true,” Oates writes. He adds, “I have no idea who or what is motivating Daryl to take these steps and make such salacious statements, but I am deeply hurt.”

A court hearing in the case is scheduled for this morning in Nashville.