While the Fyre Festival was quickly over before it officially began, the fall out for its organizers Ja Rule and Billy McFarland is far from over. Earlier today, three women, who attended the failed fest, filed an injunction to stop the rapper and the businessman from...well...doing business.
The organizers are also being sued for breach of contract, violation of California business and profession code, negligent misrepresentation and fraud in the class action lawsuit.
But that's not all... Yesterday, celebrity attorney Mark Geragos filed a $100 million lawsuit on behalf of plaintiff Daniel Jung, seeking punitive damages for alleged fraud, breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and negligent misrepresentation after the first weekend imploded in chaos.
Looks like pissing off a bunch of rich social media influencers may not have been the best business move?
According to court docs, today's class action lawsuit seeks, "to recover damages for the use of unlawful, unfair and fraudulent acts and practices in provision of selling tickets and promoting a music festival to CA residents."
The lawsuit, which was filed by plaintiffs Chelsea Chinery, Shannon McAuliffe and Desiree Flores on behalf of all California residents who purchased tickets, travel packages and/or attended the Fyre Festival attendees, takes aim at Ja Rule, McFarland, Fyre Media, Matte Projects and Does 1-100.
The plaintiffs allege that the defendants, "deliberately and fraudulently marketed and sold tickets to a lavish, tropical destination music festival."
The lawsuit also claims that the event was billed as a, "journey and destination, a place where music, culture, and food combine, igniting out curiosities and our passions over two weekends on one of the most sought after and secluded islands in the world." But instead, "They had a horrific experience on the island that was not suited nor prepared for the influx of visitors or music festival of such grand proportion."
The docs allege that, "Festival grounds were barren and disorganized, luggage was thrown from shipping crates on the beach, the villas advertised as upscale beach tents resembled those used by FEMA. The tents were also empty and did not include any furnishings when plaintiffs arrived."
Ja Rule has spoken publicly about the controversy to explain his side of the story.
"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," he tweeted Friday. "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…"
As previously reported by E! news, yesterday's class action lawsuit claims that the organizers had been aware for "months that their festival was dangerously under-equipped" and that food service and accommodations on Fyre Cay in the Grand Bahamas Exuma Island chain were not in place as recently as last month. Allegedly, contractors hired for the site had not been paid and refused to work.
"Defendants were knowingly lying about the festival's accommodations and safety, and continued to promote the event and sell ticket packages," the lawsuit claims. "More troublingly, Mr. McFarland and Mr. Atkins began personally reaching out to performers and celebrities in advance of the festival and warned them not to attend—acknowledging the fact that the festival was outrageously under equipped and potentially dangerous for anyone in attendance."
The event is allegedly postponed but we'll have to wait and see if the whole thing isn't totally scrapped.
The festival is certainly gone, but for those who were willing to foot the exorbitant bill on the "Coachella of the Bahamas," it is anything but not forgotten.