After getting sued by a pair of promoters for scrapping a tour last year, David Copperfield is conjuring up a complaint of his own.
Attorneys for the magic man filed a $4 million countersuit Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Viva Art International Ltd. and MAZ Concerts Inc., alleging the companies not only breached their agreement with Copperfireld but also failed to act in good faith by suing him for the cancellation.
The 51-year-old illusionist claims that, according to his contract, the promoters owe him $4 million under an "artist's guaranteed fee" regardless of whether or not he performed. That figure includes $2.8 million for 38 dates in Southeast Asia and the balance for performances in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Copperfield nixed the tour shortly after the FBI raided his Las Vegas warehouse and other properties in connection with a criminal sexual misconduct investigation.
A 21-year-old Seattle woman has accused Copperfield of raping and assaulting her at his private Bahamian island resort. No charges have been filed against him, however, and his reps denied the claims, calling it a "smear campaign" against him.
In any event, Viva Art International and MAZ Concerts contend they shouldn't have to pay big bucks for shows that never happened. They sued Copperfield last November for $5 million for scuttling the tour.
Copperfield's countersuit states that his contract gave him the option to cancel tours should scheduling snafus arise (as one did for the U.A.E. shows).
The illusionist also claims the promoters were late in paying him $500,000 for a string of European dates in September 2006 and he was concerned that history would repeat itself, causing a "fiasco in which Mr. Copperfield and his staff were stranded on tour with no assurance of payment."
Attorneys for both camps declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.