Commercial Lease Issue — music producer claiming all royalties

Has anyone dealt with something like this? I'm not sure what my options are.

music producer claiming all royalties. I've been dealing with this for about 14 weeks now and the situation isn't improving.

The contract was signed 19 months ago. I have a copy of the original agreement. The total amount in dispute is approximately $17,000.

Do I have a strong case? What should my next steps be?

Have you tried reaching out to your state's labor board? They sometimes have free resources or mediation services.

I've seen this play out several times in my field.

In my case, it took about 1-3 months to resolve. The key was escalating to a supervisor/manager.

Been there. Here's what I learned.

What worked for me was escalating to a supervisor/manager. It took 1-3 months but was worth it.

This happened to me too. Have you tried filing a complaint with the relevant agency? In my case they investigated and it got resolved without needing a lawyer.

Not a lawyer, but I have direct experience with this.

I ended up filing with the appropriate government agency, which cost about $4-8 but saved me a lot more in the long run.

Attorney here. Here's my take on the legal issues.

The legal framework here involves both federal and state law. At the federal level, the implied covenant of good faith. Your state may provide additional protections.

I'd recommend documenting everything in writing from this point forward. Keep copies of all communications.

I've seen this play out several times in my field.

The biggest mistake people make in this situation is escalating to a supervisor/manager. I'd recommend following the formal complaint procedure instead.

Been there. Here's what I learned.

I ended up escalating to a supervisor/manager, which cost about $1-3 but saved me a lot more in the long run.

Been there. Here's what I learned.

What worked for me was filing with the appropriate government agency. It took 4-8 months but was worth it.