Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan is facing a new lawsuit from a former business associate regarding an Arizona-based craft gin enterprise. The legal complaint, filed on June 6 in Maricopa County Superior Court, alleges that the musician and other company executives orchestrated a retaliatory ousting of the plaintiff following formal workplace complaints.
Aside from his highly successful musical career fronting Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer, Maynard James Keenan operates multiple commercial ventures in Arizona, including a winery, a martial arts facility, and a distillery. This recent legal dispute centers specifically on Potions LLC and PotionG, the business entities behind Thirteen Moons Gin.
Plaintiff Dave Sanclemente, who served as one of four co-managers for the brand, filed the lawsuit against Keenan, Potions LLC, and fellow co-managers Tim White and Calvin Arnold.
In the court documents, Sanclemente alleges that the trio “conspired in bad faith” to strip him of his day-to-day operational duties around November 2025. He claims this removal was a direct retaliation for an issue “wholly unrelated” to the distillery’s actual business operations.
According to the suit, the friction began last fall after Sanclemente submitted “a series of formal complaints about Defendant Keenan related to workplace issues at his other businesses. The complaints alleged conduct by Keenan that Plaintiff believed to be illegal.”
Sanclemente alleges that within a month of raising those concerns, his partners severely marginalized his role. He claims the defendants voided his consulting contract, banned him from the company headquarters, and blocked his access to the brand’s products, bank accounts, and financial books.
The plaintiff emphasizes that his specific role overseeing daily operations was “a material reason” he originally joined the project, noting that financial backers committed funds based on his involvement, “given his qualifications for this role relative to the other members.”
Arguing that “Defendants’ actions were in bad faith and committed solely as a means of retaliation and not for any legitimate business reason,” Sanclemente is formally suing for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
The former business partner is demanding full access to the company’s accounting records for inspection, coverage of his legal fees, and punitive damages for what the filing describes as “willful, extreme, outrageous and malicious conduct.”
The complaint further argues that the court must intervene to restore his position, stating: “Injustice can be avoided only by enforcement of defendants’ promise for plaintiff to manage and guide the day-to-day operations of the venture.”
