by Christopher Hooton, The Independent, May 1, 2017
A major lawsuit seeking a minimum of $100 million has been filed against Fyre Festival co-founders Ja Rule and Billy McFarland, after the event suffered organisational collapse leaving some attendees stranded and in danger.
Trial lawyer Mark Geragos is seeking class action status, filing the suit on Sunday on behalf of plaintiff Daniel Jung, who is seeking damages of $5 million over alleged fraud, breach of contract, breach of covenent of good faith and negligent misrepresentation.
The suit is expecting "more than 150" plaintiffs, on whose behalf he is suing for a minimum of £100 million. They're unlikely to be in short supply, given the many thousands of people who arrived to the festival in the Bahamas only to find it in chaos and forced to be cancelled before it started.
The suit 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.”
It's possible the commonwealth of Bahamas will also sue, its Ministry of Tourism having been left "very disappointed" with the festival.
"Thank you for all your continued patience and understanding," organisers said in an apology and explanation posted on the Fyre website. "We apologize for what all of our guests and staff went through over the last 24 hours and will work tirelessly to make this right."
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