Sum 41 lead singer Deryck Whibley says he鈥檚 prepared to battle in Ontario court with his former manager over their sexual relationship, which he alleges took advantage of him as a rising young musician.

The allegations against Greig Nori surfaced last fall in Whibley鈥檚 memoir where he wrote that his one-time manager pressured him into a relationship.

Nori, frontman of 1990s rock band Treble Charger, calls Whibley鈥檚 claims 鈥渁 lie,鈥� saying their relationship was consensual, shared between two adults, and that Whibley pursued him.

None of the accusations have been tested in court.

Earlier this month, both sides filed notices with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice intending to sue.

First, Nori filed alleging damages from Whibley and his publishers for libel, while Whibley retorted with his own notice, alleging damage to his reputation for being called a 鈥渓iar.鈥� The notices moved them a step closer to having their dispute heard by a judge.

Nori did not respond to a request for comment made by email and phone to his lawyers.

In an interview ahead of Sum 41鈥檚 final string of shows, Whibley said he鈥檚 鈥済ot nothing to hide at this point鈥� and stands by what he said in the book.

鈥淚鈥檓 willing to go down any road, especially when I have the truth on my side,鈥� he said Sunday in call from Winnipeg where his band has a tour stop.

The pop-punk musician first outlined the allegations in 鈥淲alking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell,鈥� published in October by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, sparking an immediate denial from Nori who said he was blindsided by the accusations shortly before the memoir hit shelves.

According to the book, Nori befriended Whibley after he snuck into a Treble Charger show, later becoming a mentor and ultimately Sum 41鈥檚 manager early in their career.

When Whibley turned 18, he says their platonic friendship turned sexual when Nori, in his mid-30s at the time, kissed him in a bathroom stall at a warehouse party while they were high on ecstasy.

He wrote that a power imbalance intensified as Sum 41 saw commercial success with Nori as their manager. Whibley alleged that when he attempted to end their sexual ties, Nori became verbally abusive.

Nori wrote in a statement at the time of the book鈥檚 release that 鈥渢he accusation that I pressured Whibley to continue the relationship is false.鈥�

On Jan. 3, Nori filed a notice of action in Toronto seeking damages from Whibley and Simon & Schuster LLC for libel as well as 鈥渄amages for breach of confidence, intrusion upon seclusion, wrongful disclosure of private facts, and placing the plaintiff in a false light.鈥�

Whibley responded on Jan. 7, filing a notice of action against Nori seeking 鈥済eneral damages鈥� that he says he sustained because Nori publicly accused him of 鈥渂eing a liar,鈥� and made allegations and statements that were 鈥渇alse and/or inaccurate and would tend to lower the reputation of the plaintiff.鈥�

Sum 41 was founded in Ajax, Ont. and rose to popularity in the early 2000s with hits that included 鈥淚n Too Deep,鈥� 鈥淢akes No Difference鈥� and 鈥淔at Lip.鈥�

The band is approaching the last dates on their farewell tour with two final shows in Toronto on Jan. 28 and 30. They鈥檒l be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Juno Awards in March.

Part of the wind-up of Whibley鈥檚 band included publishing his memoir, which reflected on the meteoric rise that was propelled at least partly by Nori.

Not sharing his relationship with Nori in the pages of his book seemed impossible, explained Whibley. He said those secret experiences had been wearing away on him for years.

鈥淚 said yes to writing a memoir about my life. Well, here鈥檚 my life,鈥� he said on Sunday.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how you would not tell some of those stories. It was so intertwined with the band. It鈥檚 not just this side thing that happened 鈥� he was our manager (and) producer.

鈥淚t鈥檚 what the songs are about. It鈥檚 the struggle through making those records. All of that is wrapped up in it.鈥�

Whibley didn鈥檛 necessarily expect his dispute with Nori to escalate to a possible court showdown, he said. But he also hadn鈥檛 ruled it out.

鈥淚f it went that far 鈥� to go to a court, a judge and jury 鈥� like, great. I鈥檓 fine with that. It鈥檚 perfect,鈥� he said.

鈥淭o me, the world is already the judge and jury. I just put it out there.鈥�

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2025.

David Friend, The Canadian Press