Ronald Isley was accused of cutting Brother Rudolph’s earnings from the group’s profits

Rudolph Isley sued his younger brother, Ronald Isley, over the legendary band’s trademarks.

Rudolph, 83, said in legal documents he reviewed TMZ that Ronald, 81, conducted business transactions without his knowledge that likely cost him money.

In the suit, Rudolph told the court that Ronald successfully applied for the trademark to The Isley Brothers name last summer, and has since collected all of the profits.

Rudolph said in legal documents that he and his younger brother had agreed to share the band’s profits equally since their brother and bandmate O’Kelly died in 1986 of a heart attack.

Rudolph said in court documents that Ronald violated the arrangement they agreed upon when he was granted use of the name “Visual Recordings and Audiovisual Recordings Featuring Music and Animation” last August after filing in November 2021.

Rudolph said Ronald needed his permission to acquire the trademark, but he didn’t contact him about the deal ahead of time.

Rudolph said that for decades, he and Ronald had evenly split profits—including multimillion-dollar publishing arrangements—before recent developments.

Rudolph asked the judge in the case to audit Ronald’s earnings since the changeover, and had him pay him back half of the amount.

He is also asking the judge to return his 50 percent share of the group’s profits.

The Cincinnati, Ohio-based group first got its start as a quartet with her brother Vernon Isley, who died at age 13 in a car accident in 1955.

They continued with Ronald as lead singer and Rudolph and O’Kelly as backup singers.

The band had such hits as 1959’s Shout, 1962’s Twist and Shout (later covered by the Beatles), 1966’s This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You), 1969’s It’s Your Thing, 1973’s That Lady, and 1975’s Fight the Power.

The group has been entered into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.