The ugly situation between Cradle Of Filth and several now ex-members played out dramatically in front of the public this summer. Back on August 24th, keyboardist/vocalist Zoe Marie Federoff quit the band mid-tour. While her initial exit statement was short on details, she later publicly shared more accusatory claims regarding Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth and the band’s management, The Oracle Management — a company headed up by Coal Chamber/DevilDriver vocalist Bradley “Dez” Fafara and his wife Anahstasia Fafara.
Despite the brewing ward of words, Federoff‘s husband, the group’s then guitarist Marek “Ashok” Smerda, remained a member of Cradle Of Filth despite his wife’s exit, but grew increasingly critical of the group, with the growing divide leading to him being fired from Cradle Of Filth just days after his wife’s exit.
In the wake of all that drama, the couple lodged various allegations against Cradle Of Filth and their management on social media. Among them, allegations of a “threatening” work environment, low wages for services rendered and more. Even a rather draconian past contract presented by the band was published by Federoff, with the couple claiming to have rejected signing it.
Towards the end of August, Filth responded with unseemly allegations of his own against the Smerda and Federoff, which including exchanges made with Fafara. Allegations made in those statements from Filth included claims of alcohol abuse on the part of the couple, Smerda disparaging Sharon Osbourne and more.
In September, the two opposing parties began to ramp down their war in public, issuing some respective concluding statements. However, surfacing on Reddit this afternoon (November 26th) is word that several former members of Cradle Of Filth have now joined forces to file suit against the band’s vocalist Dani Filth, the band’s associated companies, and The Oracle Management.
That suit was first filed Arizona on September 30th, 2025, but was most recently amended on November 20th. The plaintiffs include not only Zoe Federoff Smerda & Marek Smerda, but also several other former members of Cradle Of Filth. Those other individuals include Paul Allender, who handled guitar for the band across two stints, including a first run in 1992-1995 and another from 1999-2014.
Lindsay Matheson (aka Lindsay Schoolcraft,) who handled keyboards and vocals for the group from 2013-2020 is also listed as a plaintiff in the suit, as is Richard Shaw, who played guitar for the band from 2014 to 2022. Sasha Baxter (aka Sasha Massacre), a woman who starred in a pair of music videos from the band, is also listed as a plaintiff.
In addition to targeting Dani Filth (aka Daniel Lloyd Davey) and The Oracle Management, Cradle Of Filth Touring Limited and Cradle Of Filth LLP are named as defendants. The above-mentioned collective of plaintiffs lodged allegations of copyright infringement, right of publicity/misappropriation of likeness, defamation, unjust enrichment, false designation of origin and conversion against those defendants. Their main claims include:
The unauthorized use and ongoing commercial exploitation of all Plaintiffs’ likenesses and images in merchandise
Unpaid royalties owed to Plaintiff Federoff and Plaintiff Smerda for live performances
Unpaid royalties owed to Plaintiff Federoff, Plaintiff Smerda, and Plaintiff Matheson for their performances in musical sound recordings.
The unauthorized use of Plaintiff Matheson’s copyrighted works by Defendants.
The disparagement of Plaintiff Federoff and Plaintiff Smerda following their discontinuation of involvement with Defendants.
Unjust enrichment from Plaintiff Baxter’s performances in music videos (“Malignant Perfection” & “To Live Deliciously“.
Unjust enrichment from the commercial exploitation of Plaintiff Federoff and Plaintiff Smerda at in-person events (i.e., meet and greets).
Defamatory statements made towards Federoff and Smerda, including allegations of Federoff suffering a miscarriage due to alcohol consumption.
Federoff, Smerda, Matheson, Allender and Shaw allege they never signed or executed any agreement regarding the usage of their names, likeness or images on the band’s merchandise, and thus, were not compensated fairly for their likeness appearing on Cradle Of Filth merch.
Likewise, Federoff, Smerda and Matheson claim to have never signed any agreement regarding their performances on recorded works from the band’s catalog that they participated in. Smerda, Shaw and Matheson claim they were largely not compensated properly for their respective recordings with the band, which spanned from 2017 to 2023.
Shaw however said he was paid some £500 for sound recordings in 2023. Another key piece of the complaint is the unauthorized usage of sigils Matheson claims to have created during her time in the band and not granted the band authorized usage of. Despite that lack of authorization, claims that said sigils were continually used by the band were made in this complaint.
Baxter meanwhile was featured in two of the band’s music videos and claims to have not been compensated for her work in them, nor the subsequent merch she alleges they sold featuring her likeness, without her authorization.
Other claims made against the band and co. include refusals to be provided access to accounting and licensing agreements in relation to merch and applicable sound recordings, including a publishing agreement with Peer Music. Several members also allege they were refused accounting for meet and greets.
Another complaint lodged includes the alleged destruction of a microphone belonging to Federoff and the lack of return of her in-ear monitors. Federoff and Smerda also allege they were not compensated for what ultimately would become their final live performances with the band this past August.
Collectively the plaintiffs are seeking various orders to hold the defendants liable for alleged misappropriation of likeness; thus blocking the further sale of any merchandise bearing their likeness or associated imagery, while also forcing any remaining stock to be destroyed.
They also seek to find Dani Filth and co. liable for conversion in regards to the destroyed/missing audio equipment, while unjust enrichment claims have been made in relation to sound recordings, merch and music videos.
They are also seeking compensatory damages for reputational harm, emotional distress, loss of income, business opportunities, and any other consequential damages. They are further seeking punitive damages sufficient enough to deter the defendants from pursuing any of the alleged offending behavior and the cost of their attorney fees. A jury trial is being requested in the matter.
The latest amendment of the complaint, which features various imagery and evidence provided by the plaintiffs to bolster their claims, was filed on November 20th, 2025 and has since surfaced online via jottacloud.com.