Boy George facing threat of bankruptcy after £1.75m payout to ex-Culture Club drummer

BOY George is facing bankruptcy over a £1.75million damages claim brought by a former Culture Club bandmate.

The singer reached an out-of-court settlement with ex-drummer Jon Moss last month after being sued for a loss of earnings.

Moss, a founding member of the band, was sacked by the band in September 2018 sparking a bitter rift and a major legal fight.

He has now applied to London's High Court for a Bankruptcy Petition against Boy George, real name George O'Dowd.

The move would see the frontman's assets taken and sold to pay the debts.

Moss originally launched a legal case against his bandmates claiming he was owed £188,000 in lost income under the terms of a tour contract.

He later amended the claim to allege that Boy George had attempted to defraud him out of what he was owed, after tour funds were released to a company reportedly owned by Boy George.

The singer claimed the allegation of fraud was a "personal attack" and "entirely untrue".

Moss also attempted to prevent Boy George from selling his Hampstead home, but the house was removed from the market and Moss’s application for an injunction dismissed.

At a previous hearing, the court was told Moss had spent £1m on the legal dispute.

His lawyer Tom Weisselberg accused the Culture Club members of trying "to cause Moss to rack up as many costs in the process, with a view, it is to be inferred, to discouraging him from continuing his claim".

As part of the settlement, Moss must not use the Culture Club name in concerts or merchandise.

In January, Boy George said of Moss: "I feel I have much to be upset about but I have to the best of my knowledge removed any real hatred towards him."

The pair were in a secret and often turbulent romantic relationship at the height of the group’s fame.

Beginning with their 1982 UK No 1 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, Culture Club became hugely successful, with six more UK Top Five hits and six Top 10 hits in the US that decade, including the transatlantic chart-topper Karma Chameleon.

Amid Boy George’s struggle with drug use, the band split in 1986, but reunited in 1998 – a new song, I Just Wanna Be Loved, reached No 4 in the UK.

The group have continued to tour on and off ever since.

The Sun contacted a spokesperson for Boy George and lawyers representing Mr Moss.