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More than two years after Billy McFarland and Ja Rule promised to redefine the music festival experience with Fyre Festival, the fallout continues.
According to court documents obtained by E! News, Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski and more stars are officially being sued to recover money allegedly paid to them for their role in promoting the infamous event. Migos, Blink-182, Lily Yachty and Pusha T were also hit with complaints, which were filed this week in New York’s U.S. Bankruptcy Court by the event’s trustee, Gregory Messer.
The trustee is seeking to recover money paid to talent agencies, performers, vendors and other entities involved in the marketing and failed execution of Fyre Festival.
The lawsuit claims Jenner was paid $275,000 for a single social media post. Messer states that Jenner’s post, which referenced her “G.O.O.D. Music Family” and did not indicate that she was paid to promote the festival, “intentionally led certain members of the public and ticket purchasers to believe” Kanye West, who founded the G.O.O.D. music label, was set perform at the event. “This conduct demonstrates a clear lack of good faith on Jenner’s part,” Messer states.
Separate bankruptcy lawsuits allege that Fyre Media paid DNA Model Management, which represents Ratajkowski, $299,000. Messer states that the model “made at least one” social media post promoting the festival, but did not disclose she received payment for the post.
International Creative Management was paid $350,000 for Migos, Lil Yachty and Rae Sremmurd to perform; Creative Artists Agency was paid $500,000 for Blink-182; and Nue Agency was paid $730,000 for Pusha T, Desiigner and Tyga, the lawsuit alleges.
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Described as a “cultural moment created from a blend of music, art and food” and scheduled across two weekends in 2017, attendees were upset to discover that upon their arrival in the Bahamas, several musical acts had dropped out and the amenities promised weren’t nearly up to snuff.
The scandal garnered worldwide notoriety and spawned multiple documentaries.
McFarland is currently serving out a 6-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud. Ja Rule has not been charged.
At the time of his sentencing he said in a statement, “I am incredibly sorry for my collective actions and will right the wrongs I have delivered to my family, friends, partners, associates and, you, the general public. I’ve always sought—and dreamed—to accomplish incredible things by pushing the envelope to deliver for a common good, but I made many wrong and immature decisions along the way and I caused agony. As a result, I’ve lived every day in prison with pain, and I will continue to do so until I am able to make up for some of this harm through work and actions that society finds respectable.”
Attorneys for defendants in the case have not publicly commented on the lawsuit.