Ex-Ghost Members Seek New Trial, Accuse Tobias Forge + Judge of Having Freemason Ties
Four former members of Ghost are seeking a new trial in the wake their failed lawsuit against Tobias Forge, the mastermind behind the band. The musicians are alleging that the judge in the initial case had a conflict of interest as both he and Forge are members of the Swedish Order of Freemasons.
Attorney Michael Berg, who represents the former members, has appealed for a new trial on behalf of his clients, arguing that Henrik Ibold, who was the judge during the district court trial, was "being disloyal," according to the Swedish language news outlet NT.se.
"For Henrik Ibold, it must almost have been impossible to objectively and impartially assess the probative value of the information that Tobias Forge has left," Berg said in the filing.
When contacted by NT.se, Ibold denied having prior knowledge that Forge was a Freemason, saying, "I did not know he was a member of the Freemasonry Order. On the other hand, I had heard some rumors that it could be so."
Back in 2017, four musicians who played the part of the "nameless ghouls" came forward to reveal their identities while filing suit against Forge, who was forced to reveal his identity under the Papa Emeritus visage. Guitarists Simon Soderberg and Henrik Palm, drummer Martin Hjertstedt and keyboardist Mauro Rubino sued for SEK 200,000 (approximately $22,000) in unpaid compensation. Following a six-day trial in Sweden, the court ruled in favor of Forge, forcing the ex-Ghost musicians to pay the frontman’s legal fees, totaling SEK 1.3 million (approximately $145,000).
Ghost are currently on a North American tour in support of their latest LP, Prequelle, which came out this past June. Tonight (Nov. 29) they play Mobile, Ala. at the Saenger Theater Mobile. To see the full list of upcoming dates, head over to this location.
Ghost Songs Ranked