The frontman of NOFX, Fat Mike, is reportedly facing legal action from longtime guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Eric Melvin, as revealed over the weekend during a roundtable discussion and photo exhibition at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas.

Fellow original member and drummer Erik Sandien disclosed the news in a prepared statement ahead of the roundtable discussion, essentially informing the audience why questions surrounding his longtime bandmate would not be addressed during the event.

What Did Erik Sandien Say About Eric Melvin’s Legal Issues With Fat Mike?

As Sandien sat at a panel in front of an audience attending the Punk Rock Museum discussion, he opened the proceedings by claiming to be the “spokesperson for the band and the most level-headed one,” before sharing that he would “like to address the elephant in the room.”

“Eric Melvin is not here today with us because of the following reason: at 8am on Monday morning, after the final NOFX show ever, Eric Melvin’s lawyers served Fat Mike legal papers accusing him of legal financial malfeasance,” revealed Sandien.

He continued, “Ten hours earlier we finished playing the final show of our 42-year career. It was the most amazing and emotional send-off ever, filled with love, family, tears, and affection. That letter broke my heart, as well as the rest of the band and crew. It still hurts today and it hurts right now saying it.”

“Melvin has made it clear that to talk about this matter with him or anybody else, it must go through his counsel,” he continued.

Sandien then offered his personal perspective, stating, “I’ve known Mike for 43 years — I knew him for a year before NOFX: Mike is a lot of things; we all know that he’s a complicated person, but he is not a thief. I will go on record saying he is not a thief.”

The drummer concluded, “We hope this gets resolved soon, but until then, here we are, and it is what it is. And for obvious reasons, we cannot and will not discuss this any further.”

Specifics concerning the legal matter were not disclosed.

A History of NOFX

Fat Mike, Eric Melvin, and Erik Sandien were all members of NOFX from their start in 1983 through their final performances in 2024. The band’s fourth member, Abe Abeyata, joined in 1991 and remained until the end of their run.

Over five decades of music, the band released 15 studio albums, starting with 1988’s Liberal Animation and concluding with 2022’s Double Album. Although their final live show took place on Oct. 6, 2024, they issued a new single titled “Barcelona” last year that was included on a late 2025 compilation titled A-H.

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The band’s first eight albums were primarily released by Epitaph, before Fat Mike started his independent label Fat Wreck Chords. The label released each of the band’s remaining seven albums throughout their career.

While the lawsuit looms over the group, their collective history will continue to be celebrated. It was revealed over the weekend that a new feature-length documentary titled 40 Years of F**kin’ Up is currently in post-production.

Announced at the same event at the Punk Rock Museum, Fat Mike told the audience that the documentary does not shy away from extreme or self-destructive chapters of the group’s history.

“Most people wouldn’t be OK with releasing a film that shows footage of getting whipped in their dungeon or their drug use for the past 20 years or dressing up like a cheap rubber whore or an ambulance ride when they were naked while puking and shitting blood… I’m not like most people,” said Fat Mike.

The documentary is expected to cover the band’s evolution from their teenage years to modern day and will include interviews with all four members, who are receiving executive producer credits on the film as well.

The documentary will receive an early screening at Austin’s Brushy Street Commons on March 15 and 16 this year before being released to a wider audience in April. Tickets will go on sale Feb. 20.

The split of NOFX was one of the bigger band breakups of 2024. See other bands that said their farewells in the same year below.