Ryan Hayden Smith, a lawyer for the 'Mesmerize' rapper, confirms that Billy McFarland's appeal over the dismissal of the $100 million class action suit has been denied.
- Nov 20, 2019
AceShowbiz - Ja Rule has been officially cleared of wrongdoing in a $100 million (£77 million) class action lawsuit over the disastrous 2017 Fyre Festival.
The rapper, real name Jeffrey Atkins, signed up as a "co-founder" of entrepreneur Billy McFarland's event, which collapsed in chaos leaving many festival-goers who had paid between $1,500 (£1,160) and $250,000 (£193,000) stranded on an island in the Bahamas.
Customers named Ja in their $100 million lawsuit seeking to recoup cash spent on tickets and travel, but in July their claims against him were dismissed. MacFarland's lawyers appealed the decision, claiming the star knew the event would flop, but they lost their attempt to overturn the ruling on Monday, November 18.
A statement from the "Rainy Dayz" hitmaker's lawyer Ryan Hayden Smith to the AllHipHop website reads, "In July, the Court dismissed all Fyre Festival claims against Mr. Atkins. After this loss, plaintiffs' law firm Geragos & Geragos appealed that decision. Today, the Court denied their appeal. This ruling is nothing short of a total vindication of Mr. Atkins."
Artists promoted as headlining the luxury event included, Major Lazer, Blink-182 and Migos, but they pulled out as it became clear the event was a shambles, with poor quality accommodation and little catering.
McFarland has been jailed for six years after admitting two counts of wire fraud connected to the ill-fated event. He also forfeited $26 million (£20.1 million) as part of the judgment.
Ja hasn't let the disaster put him off festivals, however, as he's now planning to run his own ICONN event.
