S Club Parents To Sue Management

The families of former members of defunct chart-toppers S CLUB have called in lawyers to find out if the group were underpaid by band founder SIMON FULLER

The band ended their four-year chart career last week (21APR03) - amid revelations they earned just $885,000 (GBP590,000) each throughout their time together, while Fuller collected a staggering $80 million (GBP50 million).

Now blonde bandmember Hannah Spearritt's father Michael has requested lawyers to trawl through a pile of paperwork to find out why the hard-working group members made as little as they did.

Concerned Michael says, "It's outrageous that these children have been phenomenally successful yet earned so little. It looks like there is only one place this will end - and that is in the courts."

S CLUB 7 was formed at the end of 1999 by Fuller - the man who took the Spice Girls to the height of fame.

Fuller selected Hannah, Bradley Mcintosh, PAUL CATTERMOLE, Jon Lee, JO O'MEARA, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett to make up the chart-topping band which, as well as a pop career and successful TV show, also enjoyed lucrative sponsorship deals with companies including PEPSI and HASBRO.

But as they prepare for life outside the group of the some S Clubbers parents are determined to find out if the singers have been short-changed.

The DON'T STOP MOVING hitmakers generated just $56,000 (GBP35,000) each from their show MIAMI 7 despite it being sold to 120 countries, and from a $2.7 million (GBP1.7 million) deal with BT BROADBAND Fuller took home $2.2 million (GBP1.4 million) while the band generated a simple $635,000 (GBP100,000) each.

But at a meeting with the group's parents, Fuller snapped, "I could put cardboard cut-outs of you on the stage and it wouldn't make any difference."