$weet music to ex-aide of Drifters
NEWARK, N.J. - A former manager of 1950s doo-wop group The Drifters could be entitled to millions of dollars in damages from a New York City music promoter who presented different versions of the band at shows over the last three decades.
The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled last week in favor of Faye Treadwell, who has fought a lengthy legal battle over the name of the group, which sang such classics as "There Goes My Baby," "Up on the Roof" and "Under the Boardwalk."
The ruling requires New York-based promoter Larry Marshak to provide a full accounting of money he made promoting a version of The Drifters since a 2001 court order enjoined him from infringing on the group's trademark.
That includes hundreds of oldies shows performed between 2002 and 2007 at the Sahara Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas, that may have reaped as much as $20,000 per show, according to Cindy Salvo, an attorney representing Treadwell, who lived for years in Englewood, N.J.
Treadwell, now 82 and in poor health, said when reached Monday at her home in Glendale, Calif., "I feel great. It's been a long battle."
She shed tears of joy when she heard about the ruling, said her daughter, Tina Treadwell. *
