Ja Rule's Fyre Festival Hit With $100 Million Lawsuit
Ja Rule is still dealing with the aftermath of his disastrous Fyre Festival. The rapper is among those named in a $100 million class-action lawsuit.
The suit was filed on Sunday (Apr. 30) by Daniel Jung on behalf of himself and others who purchased tickets to the event. In it, he alleges that the festival lacked “adequate food, water, shelter, and medical care” while creating a “dangerous and panicked situation.”
It also reportedly makes claims of fraud, breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith, and negligent misrepresentation, according to ABC News. Comparing the much-hyped event to The Hunger Games or Lord of the Flies, Jung is seeking damages “in excess of” $100 million.
Created by Rule and businessman Billy McFarland, Fyre was promoted by supermodels and was set to feature G.O.O.D. Music and Blink-182 as headliners. Tickets for the event — which was set to take place on the private island of Fyre Cay in the Bahamas — cost as much as $100,000 per person, according to the suit.
But festivalgoers found themselves disappointed when they arrived, complaining about inadequate food, camping, and travel accommodations on social media, causing an uproar against the organizers. Many of the attendees were then stranded on the island.
Jung’s attorney Mark Geragos, who is famous for representing Chris Brown and others, also critiqued the organizers. In a statement, he said that they “need to step up and make this right but unfortunately, the opposite has occurred.”
The suit also claims that Fyre “was nothing more than a get-rich-quick scam from the very beginning” with intentions to “fleece attendees for hundreds of millions of dollars by inducing them to fly to a remote island without food, shelter or water—and without regard to what might happen to them after that.”
Fyre, which has since been postponed, has promised to refund all festivalgoers. Ja Rule has issued a statement, claiming that this was not a scam and not his fault, but that he will be “taking responsibility.”
— Ja Rule (@jarule) April 28, 2017
Fyre also claimed that it was not their fault. “Due to circumstances out of our control, the physical infrastructure was not in place on time and we are unable to fulfill on that vision safely and enjoyably for our guests,” read a statement. “At this time, we are working tirelessly to get flights scheduled and get everyone off of Great Exuma and home safely as quickly as we can.”
On Sunday (Apr. 30), Ja Rule reported that all of the guests returned home safely and that they will be refunded. “Relieved to share that all guest are safe, and have been sent the form to apply for a refund,” he tweeted. “Our deepest apologies.”
Relieved to share that all guest are safe, and have been sent the form to apply for a refund. Our deepest apologies… #fyrefestival
— Ja Rule (@jarule) April 30, 2017