Jamaican dancehall superstar being sued for over US$500,000

Durrant Pate/Contributor

A Ugandan show promoter, who is suing Jamaican dancehall superstar Mavado for over US$500,000 (approximately J$77.5 million), has petitioned a US District Court for summary judgment.

The promoter named Chinedu Ikoroha of Cee Cee Entertainment sued Movado in 2019 for a no-show in 2012 and 2013 at a concert that he was booked to headline in the country. The promoter petitioned the court to receive reimbursement from Mavado for fees paid, as well as for all damages incurred.

Ikoroha’s lawyer, Theodore Geiger has since filed a motion for summary judgment in the New York Court, which is a request made by a party asking the court to decide all or part of a lawsuit without going to trial because there’s no dispute about the key facts of the case.

Team Mavado files pre-motion letter

However, on April 12 this year, Mavado’s attorneys, Adelman Matz P.C. and Sarah M. Matz submitted a pre-motion letter to the judge on the case, declaring that the plaintiff made several mistakes in honouring the Performance Agreement with their client. They contend that this breach renders the contract null and void.

Two of the arguments presented by Movado’s attorneys are that the plaintiff did not honour the terms outlined by failing to meet the deposit schedule as well as failure to properly obtain travel visas. More so, the lawyers presented a myriad of other arguments supporting the entertainer’s position in the case.

The promoter claims to have lost a total US$350,000 as a result of Movado’s no-show, which includes a US$60,000 compensation paid to book him, another US$40,000 paid to his associates for their travel, security and accommodation and US$50,000 in damages. He claims these payments resulted in the loss of two properties that were mortgaged to finance the concert.

According to the promoter, though the entertainer did not honour the agreement of the initial contract to perform in December of 2012, he was again booked to perform the following year on March 29, 2013. However, Mavado did not show up for that second event.

Consequently, Ikoroha has sued him for compensation for lost revenue in ticket sales, which equates to approximately US$545,000 along with at least US$110,000 that was paid to the entertainer and his team for the event.