What was supposed to be a fun filled music festival on a private island in the Bahamas turned into a Hunger Games like disaster. Social media blew up hours after the festival had supposedly started from millennials who had spent more 1,200 on tickets saying the festival was a bust.
The people behind the festival, Ja Rule and Billy McFarland, are getting hit with lawsuits after lawsuits.
In the latest round of “who’s suing next?”, a couple named Kenneth and Emily Reel are coming in as the defendants. The couple paid $4,600 for a VIP villa at the festival but instead of lying on a beach and listening to music like they were promised, the couple never even made it to the island. They had found themselves stuck in Miami.
The couple is asking for $5 million from Ja Rule, McFarland, and the advertising and PR agencies. According to the lawsuit, “Defendants sold tickets for a music festival of unparalleled luxury. In reality, Fyre Festival was the opposite. The event fell woefully short of what was advertised in virtually every way.”
Mark Geragos, a celebrity lawyer, filed a class-action suit with almost 150 people associated with it against the duo behind the festival. The plaintiff is asking for $5 million in damages for alleged fraud, breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith, and negligent misrepresentation.”
According to the lawsuit, “The festival’s lack of adequate food, water, shelter, and medical care created a dangerous and panicked situation among attendees — suddenly finding themselves stranded on a remote island without basic provisions — that was closer to The Hunger Games or Lord of the Flies than Coachella,”
Ja Rule issued an apology to those who attended the disaster that was Fyre Fest, saying, “I’m heartbroken at this moment, my partners and I wanted this to be an amazing event, it was NOT A SCAM as everyone is reporting. I don’t know how everything went so left but I’m working to make it right by making sure everyone is refunded … I truly apologize as this is NOT MY FAULT … but I’m taking responsibility. I’m deeply sorry to everyone who was inconvenienced by this.”
The advertising agency along with the PR firm behind the festival are being named in the lawsuit as well. Since they apparently, “did not take any steps, let alone reasonable steps, to ensure that their promotional materials and marketing campaigns were accurate.”
The promo video that was released for the festival featured expectations that were not met. Some of these expectations that were featured included famous models such as Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid staring at the camera. Sandy beaches, live music, as well as cuisine fit for a king were all advertised with the expectation of a good time and an all immersive festival. Reality was far from what was advertised.
If you want to read more about the legal documents from Rolling Stone, check out Scribd.
Those who filed the lawsuit, about 81% of them reported that they are interested in attending the festival in 2018 according to McFarland. In a statement, he said, “We are so thankful for their support and excitement as we strive to make this right.”
As of now, the festival is still on for next year.
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