Ex-Dream Theater Drummer Files Suit Against Bandmates

UPDATE: Ronald S. Beinstock, an attorney for Dream Theater, has contacted Blabbermouth.net to make it clear that there is currently "no pending litigation" between the current members of Dream Theater and the band's former drummer, Mike Portnoy.

ORIGINAL STORY: In a lawsuit that uses the word "wrongly" at least three times, according to Blabbermouth.net, ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has accused his former bandmates of, well, wrongly excluding him from recent tours and recording projects.

Portnoy filed his complaint on April 27, naming each member of the group in his suit. He's claimed that he never intended to leave the enduring prog-metal outfit, despite the fact he toured last year with Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold.

"I knew something was brewing and I knew that I was unhappy, and as has been well documented elsewhere, I merely just wanted a break," Portnoy said last month in an interview with the Greece's Rock Hard magazine. "But unfortunately, those guys [the rest of DREAM THEATER] didn't see it that way and didn't respect my request for time off. It's unfortunate [that it turned out that way]."

A founding member of Dream Theater, Portnoy announced his departure in September 2010. In recent months, he's kept busy with Adrenaline Mob, a new band whose self-titled debut EP arrived last month.