Greenspoon Marder Files Lawsuit Against Organizers of Fyre Festival

May 5, 2017

MEDIA CONTACT
Michelle Martinez Reyes, Chief Marketing Officer
954.333.4357 | michelle.martinez.reyes@gmlaw.com

GREENSPOON MARDER FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST ORGANIZERS OF FYRE FESTIVAL

Class Action Is the First Filed in Southern Florida – the “Hub” of the Fyre Festival

MIAMI, FL – May 5, 2017 – Greenspoon Marder today filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida on behalf of all ticket purchasers defrauded and wronged by the organizers of Fyre Festival – an exclusive music festival on a private island falsely promoted as “the best in food, art, music and adventure.” The lawsuit seeks more than $5 million in damages, as well as a motion to limit the Defendants’ communications with the Plaintiffs and potential class members.

This will be the first lawsuit filed against the organizers of the Fyre Festival in the Southern District of Florida – a region considered to be the “hub” for Fyre Festival. To attend the festival, all festival-goers were required to take a flight from Miami to the Bahamas. Further, while the event was supposed to take place in the Bahamas, the tickets list the location of the event as a Florida address.

This is also the first lawsuit to address the Defendants’ efforts to escape liability by offering a vague, unknown refund. On April 30, 2017, ticket purchasers received an email containing a link where the consumer can “apply” for a refund – notably without a guarantee that a refund will actually be provided. Ticket purchasers were then required to fill out a vague, lengthy multi-question application form, which also failed to advise the potential class of their litigation rights. The Rule 23(d) Motion to Limit Communications is designed to protect the Plaintiffs and potential class members from misleading communications such as the April 30 refund email that seek to unfairly deprive them of their legal rights and reimbursement of all of the costs they incurred and damages they suffered.

“Festival goers who spent thousands of dollars on what they thought to be a vacation of a lifetime should be fully apprised of their rights, they should be made aware of the pending lawsuits, they should be given the opportunity to consult with counsel, and they should be reimbursed every single penny and possibly more,” comments Jeffrey Backman, a Shareholder at Greenspoon Marder and co-counsel for the Plaintiffs.

This lawsuit is also the first to name as Defendants the Public Relations agencies representing Fyre Festival. Hired to coordinate Fyre Festival’s marketing and advertising campaign, 42West and Matte Projects knew or should have known that their advertisements and promotions were false and likely to mislead consumers.

“Even with the slightest bit of due diligence, we believe that the PR agencies knew or should have known that what they were promising could never be delivered,” comments Backman.

About Greenspoon Marder

Greenspoon Marder LLP is a full-service law firm with over 240 attorneys and more than 20 office locations across the United States. With operations from Miami to New York and from Denver to Los Angeles, our firm attracts some of the nation’s top talent in key markets and innovation hubs. Our core practice areas include Real Estate, Litigation, and Transactional Services, complemented by the capabilities of a full-service firm. Greenspoon Marder has upheld a spot on The American Lawyer’s Am Law 200 as one of the top law firms in the U.S. since 2015, and our goal is to provide exceptional client service by developing a thorough understanding of each client’s business needs and objectives in order to provide strategic, cost-effective solutions.

MEDIA CONTACT

Natalie Villanueva, Director of Marketing
954.333.4308 | natalie.villanueva@gmlaw.com

This Greenspoon Marder LLP Client Alert is issued for informational purposes only and is not intended to be construed or used as general legal advice nor a solicitation of any type. Please contact the author(s) or your Greenspoon Marder LLP contact if you have any questions regarding the currency of this information. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision. Before you decide, ask for written information about the lawyer’s legal qualifications and experience.

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