My Chemical Romance had always planned to stop using Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders look-alike uniforms after three concerts, and a lawsuit by the cheer squad played no role in that decision, the band’s manager said in new court filings.

The cheerleaders sued last month, seeking a restraining order after the band’s backup dancers wore look-alike uniforms during shows at the Hollywood Bowl. The concerts were the grand finale of a dystopian rock opera marking the 20th anniversary of the band’s The Black Parade album.

The case ended just days later, reportedly after My Chemical Romance promised not to use the costumes at future shows. In a sworn statement filed in court Thursday (Oct. 29), however, the band’s manager, Brian Schechter, said that had always been the plan and was not a response to the lawsuit.

“From the outset, the Finale – with its elaborate sets, full cast and resolution of the story told during the 2025 and 2026 tours – was planned to be performed only on Oct. 21, 23 and 24, 2026, and on no other date,” Schechter wrote in the Oct. 29 declaration.

“All of these decisions were made nearly a year before I first learned, on Oct. 22, 2026, after the Finale’s first performance, that [the cheerleaders] objected to it,” Schechter wrote. “The Finale was last performed on Oct. 24, 2026, because of those earlier decisions that it was the last performance of that three-part story, not because of any objection by plaintiff.”

In an emailed response to Billboard, Alex Spiro, lead counsel for the Cowboys Cheerleaders, rejected the claim that the band had already planned to stop using the uniforms: “Sure they were,” he wrote. “They waved the white flag.”

The Black Parade, the band’s 2006 album, reached the top of the Billboard 200 this week after an anniversary reissue. My Chemical Romance spent the past two years touring ahead of the milestone, culminating in three theatrical concerts at the Hollywood Bowl last month. The shows told a satirical story about the “United States by Draag” and included a scene in which the Cowboys Cheerleaders, carrying rifles, took part in a staged firefight.

The cheerleaders’ parent company, Pro Silver Star, sued on Oct. 23, claiming that using the look-alike uniforms infringed its trademark rights. The lawsuit argued that fans and social media users could have believed the performers were the real Cowboys Cheerleaders. It sought an immediate restraining order barring the band from using the uniforms at the two remaining Bowl shows and at future dates.

Legal experts told Billboard that the lawsuit faced long odds in court because My Chemical Romance’s performance was likely protected by the First Amendment. Days later, reports said the band had agreed not to use the uniforms at future shows. TMZ, which reported the development based on anonymous sources, said the band had “folded” and the cheerleaders had “won big.”

In Thursday’s filing, Brian Schechter said the lawsuit had nothing to do with the decision. He said the final two Hollywood Bowl shows had always been regular tour dates, not performances of the elaborate Finale, so the cheerleader uniforms would not have appeared. He also said the band had never planned to use the costumes at other future dates.

“[In 2025], the band and I decided that the Finale would be performed only on the three original dates,” Schechter wrote in the declaration. “The Oct. 30 and 31, 2026, performances and the band’s remaining performances on its worldwide tour are not performances of the Finale and will not include any cheerleader characters or cheerleader costumes.”

The filing included an exhibit showing an email sent by the band’s lawyer, David Byrnes of the law firm Ziffren Brittenham LLP, the day before news of the quick resolution emerged.

“I write to let you know that there’s no need to proceed with the petition for a TRO attached to your email,” Byrnes wrote. “The Black Parade shows are finished and My Chemical Romance will not be performing any remaining shows on its current tour with dancers in the cheerleader costumes your client objects to.”

The new filings came during a brief period last week when it appeared that Live Nation, promoter of the The Black Parade shows and a co-defendant in the lawsuit, would continue fighting the case. The concert promoter transferred the lawsuit to federal court, then filed a brief arguing that the judge should deny the cheerleaders’ request for a restraining order.

“This is a trademark case about a musical group’s artistic expression and the First Amendment,” Live Nation’s lawyers wrote. “Plaintiff asks this court to use trademark law to line edit theatrical staging at a Los Angeles concert because plaintiff dislikes the way the show parodied one of the most famous uniforms in the United States.”

On Monday morning (Nov. 2), that case also ended after the cheerleaders and Live Nation filed a joint motion telling the judge they had reached an agreement for the “dismissal of this action, in its entirety.”

What did the lawsuit challenge?

The lawsuit challenged the use of look-alike Cowboys Cheerleaders uniforms in a My Chemical Romance performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Pro Silver Star claimed the costumes infringed its trademark rights.

The lawsuit argued that audiences could mistake the performers for the real cheerleaders, and it sought a restraining order against future use of the uniforms.

Why does the manager say the costumes were already being retired?

Brian Schechter said the Finale had been scheduled for only Oct. 21, 23 and 24, 2026, and that the band never planned to use the costumes at later shows.

According to Schechter’s declaration, the final two Hollywood Bowl concerts were regular tour dates, not performances of the Finale.

How did the lawsuit end?

The cheerleaders and Live Nation jointly asked the court to dismiss the action in its entirety. The filing followed the parties’ agreement to end the case.

Did My Chemical Romance admit the lawsuit changed its plans?

No. Schechter’s court declaration said the costume decision predated the lawsuit and was not a response to the cheerleaders’ objection.