The disastrous Caribbean getaway that was Fyre Festival is quickly becoming the most legally-ensared musical event of the last decade. Recently, the organizers behind the debacle were served with their sixth in a string of lawsuits brought on by attendees who felt jilted by the entire experience. Kenneth and Emily Reel have brought forth a whole new class action case against Ja Rule, Billy McFarland, and the marketing firms who promoted the festival in a Florida court.
In their filings, the attorneys representing the plaintiffs assert that the organizers served cease-and-desist letters out to certain people criticizing the festival on social media. “Those individuals who elected to speak negatively about the Defendants on social media, they are now being threatened with legal action via cease-and-desist letters,” the complaint read. “Specifically, if the social media comments were not taken down, the Defendants claim they could ‘incite violence, rioting, or civil unrest,’ with the caveat that if ‘someone innocent does get hurt as a result … Fyre Festival will hold you accountable and responsible.’”
That may be bold, but perhaps even more galling, the suit charges that the McFarland and his associates have gone to great lengths to convolute the refund process to those who bought tickets, saying, “The vague and deceptive refund ‘application’ is just another illusory promise by Defendants designed to mislead distressed ticketholders.”
