Chris Daughtry Sued by Former Bandmates

"American Idol" alumni Chris Daughtry has spoken out this week about being sued by his former bandmates over royalties.

Bassist Ryan Andrews, drummer Scott Crawford, and guitarist Mark Perry joined Daughtry in the band Absent Element prior to his appearance on season five of "American Idol."

The musicians filed a lawsuit in North Caroline Thursday claiming that Daughtry defrauded them out of royalties from four songs that the group had written together, according to the BBC.

The musicians accuse Daughtry of "constructive fraud" and "unfair trade practices" as well as "other deceptive and wrongful conduct."

"I am very hurt by these false accusations," Daughtry posted in a brief statement on his official band website Friday. "The songs listed in this lawsuit were written solely by me and no one else and at this time, I have no further comment."

Absent Element was formed in a church in Burlington, N.C., and the lawsuit claims that the songs were written before the group disbanded in 2006.

According to the legal case, all four members wrote music and lyrics for Absent Element's songs. The three musicians are suing for the royalties from such songs as "Home," which became a U.S. Top 10 hit in 2007, as well as the songs "Breakdown," "Conviction," and "Sinking."

The former band members added that Daughtry had reached an understanding on sharing revenues from their compositions, "and conducted himself in a way that reflected that understanding."

Daughtry now fronts an eponymous band. The 32-year-old was a fourth-place finisher during "American Idol" in 2006. Season five of the show also saw NBC's "Smash" actress Katharine McPhee compete against the winner Taylor Hicks in the finale.

Daughtry is one of the most successful singers in the history of "American Idol," selling over 6.1 million albums.

Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson are the only other artists to achieve higher sales following the reality television show, according to Billboard magazine.