EXCLUSIVE: Sting's Lawsuit Nightmare – Former Police Bandmates Planning to Sue Ex-frontman for Millions in Missed Royalties for Hit Song
Sting's lawsuit nightmare has unfolded as former Police bandmates 'sue him for millions in royalties.'
Oct. 1 2025, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
Sting's former Police bandmates are packing heat – the miffed musicians are "suing their ex-frontman for millions in missing royalties for the 1983 song Every Breath You Take," RadarOnline.com can reveal.
While Sting, 73, is said to earn a breathless $740,000 a year from the hit track, which became the fifth-bestselling song of the 1980s, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland claimed in their lawsuit they have received zip for their contributions because they were denied songwriting credits on the single.
Taking Legal Action
Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland sued Sting for royalties tied to 'Every Breath You Take.'
"This has been coming for quite some time," said a source. "Lawyers tried repeatedly to reach an out-of-court settlement but hit a stalemate. Summers and Copeland decided there was no alternative than court, so they pressed the button. They said they are owed millions in lost royalties."
Court papers list the British singer as a defendant under his given name, Gordon Matthew Sumner. Also targeted by the suit is his company, Magnetic Publishing Limited.
But Sting's lawyers deny the bandmates were underpaid and, in court documents, called the claims "illegitimate."
How They 'Fought Over Everything'
Copeland recalled The Police's breakup, citing fierce clashes and internal power struggles.
The Police was formed in 1977 by Copeland but the group was in tatters by the end of its 1984 tour, with the band members sniping at each other and Sting citing an internal power struggle, which resulted in him going his own way for a solo career.
"We didn't go to school together or grow up in the same neighborhood. We were never a tribe," he complained in 2007. "We care passionately about the music and we're all strong characters and nobody would be pushed around. We fought over everything."
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Sting's solo career brought hits like 'Fields of Gold' and 'Shape of My Heart' amid lasting controversy.
And although Sting has had a successful solo stint with hits such as Fields of Gold, Shape of My Heart and Englishman in New York, controversy has dogged him, along with claims of being egotistical, self-righteous and pretentious.
The song at the heart of the lawsuit, Every Breath You Take, was a No. 1 hit and remains a classic – and after years of tussling over it, Summers and Copeland are finally taking their shot at decades of past royalties.
