Recently, both Netflix and Hulu released documentaries on the hellish Fyre Festival. To refresh your recollection, that was the music festival in the Bahamas back in the Spring of 2017 for the beautiful people and Instagram influencers.

1. Billy McFarland: Six Years in Prison, $25.6 Million Forfeiture, Banned for Life by SEC

Billy McFarland, the 27-year-old founder of the company that created the festival, turned out to be a real piece of work. Based on all the lies he told investors and ticket buyers, he landed himself in a load of hot water. McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of federal wire-fraud charges, which were based on the fraudulent brokerage and bank statements he used to collect millions of dollars from investors.

2. Two North Carolina Ticket Buyers Get $5 Million Verdict Against McFarland

Seth Crossno and Mark Thompson from North Carolina filed a lawsuit against McFarland claiming they each spent about $13,000 on VIP packages for the festival, which turned out to be a scam. In total, they were awarded $5 million, consisting of $1.5 million for each of them in compensatory damages, accounting for travel, lodging, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. They each were also awarded $1 million in punitive damages. McFarland is incarcerated and insolvent right now. It will be interesting to see if these two can collect.

3. Ja Rule, Along With McFarland, Sued for $100 Million in Class Action Breach and Fraud Suit

Ja Rule, a very successful American rap artist, was a co-founder of Fyre Festival. As such, he has been named in most lawsuits involving the festival, especially now that McFarland is likely insolvent. Though the North Carolina plaintiffs settled with Ja Rule out of court for undisclosed terms, the rapper is still a named party in the $100 million class action lawsuit ticket buyers have brought for breach of contract and fraud.

Stay tuned to find out how this class action turns out.

Related Resources:

  • Crowd Surfing Lawsuit: When to Sue for Festival Injuries (FindLaw Injured)
  • Jennifer Lopez Faces $40M Lawsuit for Canceling Concert (FindLaw Celebrity Justice)
  • Taylor Swift Sued for $2.5M Over Concert Cancellation (FindLaw Celebrity Justice)

You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help

Civil Rights

Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court

Criminal

Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records

Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules