Jeffrey Hatrix — also known as Jeffrey Nothing, the original voice and co-founder of Cleveland industrial metal pioneers Mushroomhead — has reached a settlement with the band's drummer and producer Steve "Skinny" Felton, bringing a long-running legal dispute to a close.
On Monday, February 9, the two parties filed a notice of dismissal with prejudice in federal court in Cleveland, meaning the case cannot be refiled or pursued again in the future. The lawsuit, originally filed in August 2024, alleged copyright infringement and failure to pay royalties Hatrix said he was owed for decades of work with the band.
Hatrix, who departed Mushroomhead in 2018, claimed he had not received royalties for his music "for several years at least," despite writing or co-writing 148 songs during his time with the masked alterna-metal collective.
Following the settlement, Hatrix shared a conciliatory statement on social media, signaling a clear end to the dispute — and to any public bad blood. "As a lot of you know, there has been an ongoing lawsuit between myself and my former band," he wrote. "I'm happy to report that the situation is settled and over."
He continued: "From here out, there will be nothing negative about Mushroomhead or Skinny on my page. He came to the table amicably and honorably and we found a solution that made both of us happy."
Reflecting on the band's origins, Hatrix emphasized the shared legacy between himself and Felton. "Skinny and I founded Mushroomhead and it's great to see the fanbase and community it has built. I'm proud of that and I know he is," he said. "Mushroomhead is his and I wish him the best. My creative baby is now my solo work."
Hatrix also left the door open — at least slightly — to a future collaboration. "Will I ever work with SHROOM again? Time will tell. I'm not against it. But I have no ill feelings either way. I want everybody to win."
He closed by thanking fans who supported him throughout the dispute: "Thank you all for your years of support and for having my back when it was needed, but from here on out it's nothing but positivity in that direction. I said I was done with drama and I meant it."
When the lawsuit was first filed, Hatrix alleged that "most of the [Mushroomhead] performing arts copyright registrations were registered as Stephen Felton being the copyright claimant." While he was often credited as a songwriter, the suit claimed "there seems to be no record of mechanical royalty payments stemming from these performing arts registrations."
The complaint further accused Felton of manipulating publishing splits in the years leading up to Hatrix's exit. According to the filing, "Felton's actions … became more nefarious, including the doctoring of publishing splits giving Skinny (Felton) double pay under 2 names ‘Tenafly Viper' and just plain ‘Steve Felton', along with 30% going to him under ‘unknown publicist' and ‘unknown writer'."
"In fact, most of the publishing splits seem to have disappeared as plaintiff has not received any mechanical royalties to speak of for several years at least," the lawsuit continued. "Although the money coming increased, plaintiff was apparently receiving pennies on the dollar."
Hatrix also claimed he was paid a flat touring "allowance" of $1,200 per week and "almost nothing beyond this," alleging he was owed additional income from publishing, touring, sales, and film and media royalties.
At the time the suit was filed, Hatrix's attorney Ronald Stanley told Cleveland.com that his client was seeking at least $3.5 million, while noting, "We don't know all what he is entitled to yet."
