Ugly legal drama continues to rock Journey as founding band member Neal Schon has sent yet another cease-and-desist letter — this time to keyboardist Jonathan Cain’s wife.
Paula White-Cain — a televangelist who has served as former President Donald Trump’s spiritual adviser and delivered the invocation at his inauguration — is being accused of allegedly giving herself access to the band’s bank accounts without Schon’s knowledge or consent, according to a Dec. 12 letter from Schon’s attorney that was obtained by The Post.
But an attorney for White-Cain, 56, warned the public to stop believin’ Schon’s “nonsensical” claim in an exclusive statement to The Post.
The letter is one of several disputes Schon, 68, and Cain, 72, are engaged in — including Cain performing Journey music at a recent Mar-a-Lago gala. The latest skirmish comes as Journey, a 2017 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, prepares to embark on a North American tour later this month with fellow ’80s hitmakers Toto.
White-Cain’s signature has appeared on purported Journey-related bank documents since at least July 2020, according to financial paperwork The Post reviewed. In his cease-and-desist letter, Schon asked White-Cain to remove herself from the “Faithfully” band’s accounts by Dec. 27. It’s unclear if that happened.
“We have learned that despite the prior mutual agreement between Mr. Schon and Mr. Jonathan Cain that the business of the band and the Journey Related Entities would be handled only by Mr. Schon and Mr. Cain as individuals, your name appears as an authorized signatory on the City National Bank accounts of Freedom JN LLC,” the cease-and-desist letter states.
“We further demand that you immediately cease and desist and refrain in the future from
inserting yourself in any business of the band and any legal entities used by the band as this contradicts the existing agreement between Mr. Schon and Mr. Cain,” the letter continues.
Schon’s attorney declined to comment, citing his firm’s policy “not to comment on any ongoing disputes.”
White-Cain’s attorney, Alan Gutman, called Schon’s claim “entirely pretextual.” Cain and White-Cain wed in 2015 after meeting on a Southwest Airlines flight.
“Neal’s attorney recommended Neal and Jonathan own their respective 50% interests in the band’s operating entities through their personal trusts,” reads the Gutman statement provided to The Post.
“Paula is a co-trustee of Jonathan’s personal trust, therefore, Jonathan and Paula signed as the co-trustees of Jonathan’s personal trust. But that never would have happened if Neal’s lawyer had not recommenced it.”
Gutman said Schon didn’t complain about the arrangement for two years.
“When Neal finally complained (and we do not need to explain the real reason why he started complaining, which had nothing to do with fact that Paula was co-trustee of Jonathan’s trust or listed on any papers), Jonathan offered to have his ownership interest transferred from his personal trust to him personally,” the statement continues.
“While that offer would have resolved the issue, Neal refuses to cooperate in any resolution, once again demonstrating that the claim is entirely pretextual.”
Journey has sold over 100 million albums — and the stadium anthem “Don’t Stop Believin'” has surpassed 1 billion Spotify streams. Twenty-five of Journey’s songs — including “Open Arms,” “Who’s Crying Now” and “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” — charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Journey’s Greatest Hits” is one of three albums ever to spend 600 weeks on the Billboard 200 — joining Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” and Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Legend.”
A source tells The Post that Schon was in “disbelief and shock” when he allegedly heard from the bank that White-Cain had access to the accounts.
Schon addressed the dispute in a Nov. 21 post to the Facebook account he shares with his wife, Michaele, a former cast member of “The Real Housewives of DC,” who infamously crashed a White House state dinner in 2009.
“This is a BEAUTIFUL life and more than enough for all, why do people bite the hand that feeds them? Greed. Jealousy. Envy. Neal agreed to make Cain a partner in 2020 because Jon Cain said he was sorry for the wrong doings he did and Neal forgave him, with the belief that someday Cain said he would pay him back,” the post reads.
“Cain hasn’t paid him yet. Jon Cain and Paula White added her name, Paula White, on the Journey bank account behind Neal Schön’s back and violated his directive as The President and Founder of Journey, against Neal’s wishes and per the court agreement. The Bank just informed that they did this in 2020.”
The statements were made three weeks after Schon filed a lawsuit against Cain in October, seeking “full access” to records pertaining to Journey’s American Express account.
“The AMEX account is a Journey account, not a personal account of Cain. On information and belief, millions in Journey funds have flowed through this AMEX account,” reads the Schon suit, which was filed in California.
Cain’s response to the complaint is due Jan. 13, and a case management conference has been scheduled for March 2, online court records show.
In November, Cain’s lawyer told Variety that Schon’s access needed to be cut off after he allegedly charged more than $1 million in “improper personal expenses.”
Cain provided his own statement to the outlet, claiming the lawsuit has “no merit.”
“Neal has always had access to the credit card statements; what he lacks — and what he is really seeking — is the ability to increase his spending limits,” his statement reads.
“Since Neal decided to publicize what is going on, I can tell you we will present the evidence to the court that shows that Neal has been under tremendous financial pressure as a result of his excessive spending and extravagant lifestyle, which led to him running up enormous personal charges on the band’s credit card account.”
As for Schon’s and Cain’s relationship heading into the tour that kicks off Jan. 27 in Oklahoma, the source says they are “business partners that don’t speak.”
“Neal is there for the music, the fans and the brand. That’s what he’s all about,” the source said.
The source added that White-Cain has only accompanied the band for a few stops in the past, and there’s “hope” she doesn’t join the new tour leg. The concerts are in support of Journey’s “Freedom” album, which was released last summer.
Schon’s attorney, meanwhile, sent Cain a separate cease-and-desist on Dec. 16 to stop him from playing the band’s music at Trump events after he did so — with the help of background singers Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Kari Lake — at a Mar-a-Lago gala in November.
“Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political,” reads the Schon letter obtained by The Post.
Journey band members used to agree they would “stay in their lane” and not get involved in politics. Schon’s attorney is claiming the band’s fans are “up in arms” over Cain’s affiliation with Trump.
“Mr. Cain has no right to use Journey for politics,” the letter continues. “His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on Journey’s brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band.”
