Limp Bizkit‘s Wes Borland is currently involved in legal action against his ex-wife Carré Callaway, the lead singer of the rock act Queen Kwong, of which he was a member during their relationship.
The pair, married from 2016 to 2019, appeared on HGTV’s Sight Unseen before finalizing their split in 2020. Now, Borland claims Callaway has violated the terms of their divorce paperwork, per Rolling Stone.
The agreement, signed by each of them in 2020, says “neither party may make speeches, give interviews, or make public statements that defame the other party,” the music magazine reported.
But according to a petition from the Limp Bizkit guitarist that will be heard by a family judge for the third judicial circuit of Michigan’s Wayne County on Tuesday (Jan. 17), Borland is accusing Callaway of going against that agreement in a 2022 Bandcamp Daily article.
“We had seven or eight cats of our own,” Callway said in the interview. “When everything fell apart, one thing that made me realize things were really over was his desire to not only get rid of me, but the cats too. There was a disabled one called Daisy. She died a week after he left because he was the only one who could care for her. That’s the hardest thing to get over, honestly… I still have nightmares about it.”
Borland’s filing also alleges a Flood magazine review of Queen Kwong’s 2022 album, Couples Only, written the same author, Mischa Pearlman, repeated those claims and suggested that one song on the album “details the kind of purported ‘gaslighting’ Ms. Callaway claims she received from Mr. Borland.”
Borland’s petition maintains those statements “intentionally do what Ms. Callaway was expressly prohibited from doing. They adversely affect Mr. Borland’s public image and reputation that he has built.” It also alleges Callaway’s actions are aimed at destroying Borland’s professional reputation.
He is requesting $5,000 in costs and attorney fees and for the court to sanction Callaway.
Reached by Rolling Stone for comment, Callaway responded, “The TRUTH CANNOT BE DEFAMATORY. This action is simply a tactic to bully, intimidate, and silence me. This is an attempt to financially ruin me, exhaust my physical well-being, and denigrate my credibility with the explicit intent of causing harm to my career.”
She continued, “This is an overall attack on freedom of speech and artistic expression. What does it mean for indie musicians like myself —who can’t afford to even tour these days — to have to worry about fighting frivolous lawsuits? What does it mean for women who are already afraid to tell their stories? … For journalists if their words can be spun to silence the very women they’re trying to give a platform to?”
The Limp Bizkit guitarist’s attorney B. Andrew Rifkin said, “Mr. Borland filed a post-judgment motion asking that the [court] enforce specific Judgment of Divorce provisions that both parties agreed to abide by as part of their 2020 divorce settlement. Mr. Borland’s post-judgment motion has nothing to do with any issues beyond what each of the parties agreed to do as part of the finalization of their 2019 divorce case.”
He continued, “The parties’ [agreement] requires both Mr. Borland and Ms. Callaway to refrain from ‘… mak[ing] speeches, giv[ing] interviews, or mak[ing] statements that defame the other party.’ Mr. Borland has fully complied with that provision, and he is asking the [court] to make clear … she has the same obligation.”
Borland “wishes Ms. Callaway the best in her career,” Rifkin added. “He does not wish to limit her artistic expression, but as part of their divorce settlement, both parties agreed to keep their opinions about their divorce private and refrain from making negative public comments about the other.”
