Did You Get Ripped Off by the Fyre Festival Promoters?

If you bought a ticket, lost money, or worse, you were injured during the event, you may have a claim for money. Our investigators are interviewing people now who paid to go to the reportedly disastrous Fyre Festival. Please contact us for a free evaluation using the form on this page, or call us at 424-245-5505.  

Background

Billy McFarland and hip hop artist Ja Rule were the organizers for a concert event to take place the last weekend of April and running through the first weekend of May. The event was on Exuma island in the Bahamas and was hyped up to be much more than a concert. People who went paid prices ranging from $1,000 up to $150,000 on various packages that included luxury accommodations. The event promoters advertised that it would be a magical musical event featuring yachts and luxury cabanas with catering by celebrity chefs. The event was promoted as if it was going to be on the level of the famous festival in California called Coachella.

The event was cancelled on the day it was supposed to start, with hundreds of people already on the island. People who were actually able to get to the island complained that the conditions were horrible at the site of the event. There were complaints of no lights, drinking water shortages, barely edible food that was substituted for the celebrity chef catering, and many other problems. The promised luxury cabanas turned out to be either FEMA tents or just a few boards nailed together with tarps on top.

The organizers are being blamed for problems related to people not being able to get around or off the island once they realized they were trapped there. The organizers had provided wrist bracelets that could be electronically loaded with money credits so people didn’t have to carry cash to the festival. Unfortunately many people that took their advice were stuck without a way to pay for bus or taxi rides to get away from the site to the airport. These people were stuck relying on the event staff to get them bus or cab rides to the airport and once they were at the airport, the problems were just as bad. People have reported that the airport was packed and people were fainting, because they were locked in areas that were hot and there was no ventilation.

Fraudulent Advertising and Promotion

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates advertising and promotions. Under FTC rules, companies and the celebrities they sponsor risk being deceptive, and subject to fines, by not telling people that their endorsements through social media are advertisements. Federal rules called “Dot Com Disclosures” that require transparency about sponsorships, can be broken when influencers post messages on social media like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

It has been reported that upwards of 400 ‘influencers’ (popular artists, models and celebrities) like Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin and Ashanti, shared the Fyre Festival promotional videos and photos through Instagram and other social media. The problem is these influencers never told their followers and fans they were actually advertising the doomed festival for the organizers’ company in exchange for pay or free tickets and airfare. The top influencers reportedly get paid as much as $20,000 for a Twitter post or Facebook update.

Potential Class Action

It is reported that both of the main organizers knew that they weren’t ready or able to handle the incoming crowd. Allegations have been reported that the organizers warned the big name guests not to come until the second weekend of the concert. One report quoted an anonymous source who was told not to come until “all the kinks have been worked out.”

We are investigating potential claims on behalf of consumers who were persuaded to buy tickets, airfare, and other things related to the Fyre Festival. People who paid for tickets or airfare may have a claim against the organizers and potentially the influencers for the fraudulent marketing of the festival.  Federal regulations require influencers to give notice when they are being paid to promote events like the Fyre Festival. If you, or someone you know, paid money towards attending this festival, please contact us immediately for a free case evaluation either by submitting our confidential form on this page, or by calling us at 424-245-5505.

_______________________
Attorney Advertising