Papa Roach Former Drummer Sues

“It bums me out that it had to come to this,” David Buckner said in a statement to the Sacramento Bee (Buckner and his former bandmates are from nearby Vacaville, Calif.). “These guys were my soul mates. But I need to protect myself and my rights.”

He would not speak to the Bee on record but added in a statement issued by his attorney, David Given, that the band members were “acting like rich rock stars on some ego trip.”

Buckner, who was fired from Papa Roach in December 2007, claims the band members borrowed $210,000 from Broadway Federal Bank without Buckner’s knowledge to underwrite various undertakings. He also accuses the band of borrowing more than $400,000 from Universal Music Group for recording and a music video, then diverting band royalties to pay for the loan.

The suit also accuses the band of having using Buckner’s share of its income to support lavish lifestyles. It asks Sacramento Superior Court to dissolve the band and a variety of property, music and touring companies formed by its members, according to the Bee.

Papa Roach was formed when Buckner met frontman Jacoby Shaddix in 1993. He recorded on the band’s debut, which included the No. 1 hit “Last Resort” as well as the successful albums Getting Away with Murder and The Paramour Sessions.

Buckner and Shaddix have both reportedly suffered from substance abuse.

“I was going through some tough times last year, including a divorce,” Buckner stated to the Bee. “And the guys decided to let me go.”

Buckner was married to Mia Tyler, daughter of Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and sister of actress Liv Tyler. He now plays in the Sacramento-based Last Angels.

Neither the band nor management had a comment at press time. The complaint is posted at TMZ.com.