Well, you had to know this was coming.
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Fyre Festival organizers Ja Rule and Billy McFarland. According to Variety, celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Sunday. Thus far, he is representing one plaintiff, Daniel Jung, who is seeking $5 million in damages for alleged fraud, breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and negligent misrepresentation. However, Geragos anticipates upwards of 150 plaintiffs will ultimately join the suit, seeking a minimum of $100 million dollars.
In the suit, Geragos alleges that 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.”
“Faced with the complete lack of even the most basic amenities, as well as no assistance from Defendants, festival attendees began to panic,” the suit adds. “Predictably, Attendees began attempting to leave the island en masse, but found themselves trapped—even locked inside an airport awaiting delayed flights.”
Several of the models involved in the festival’s initial marketing — including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Emily Ratajkowski — were also cited in the suit. Whether or not they’ll be liable remains to be seen, though at the very least, their involvement could trigger a Federal Trade Commission investigation for false advertising, Variety notes.
That’s not only legal headache facing Ja Rule and McFarland, however. TMZ reports that the country of the Bahamas, where the festival was to take place, may file a lawsuit of its own, as it “stands to lose out on millions with the festival being called off.” The country also alleges that McFarland failed to pay customs duty taxes “on items that he imported for the event,” and that “he and his staff have left the items with a security company guarding it.”
For their part, Ja Rule and McFarland have offered refunds to all Fyre Festival attendees, as well as free tickets to a 2018 installment planned in the United States.
