A New York court has granted permission to a UK-based promoter, Chinedu Ikoroha of Cee Cee Entertainment Ltd, to amend his lawsuit against Jamaican singer Mavado for failing to perform at a concert in Kampala that was scheduled for December 29, 2012. The promoter is seeking a refund of over $100,000 that he claims was paid to or spent on the singer’s behalf and $545,000 for lost revenue from ticket sales due to the failed concert.
In addition, Chinedu is claiming that he lost over $250,000 in damages from concert expenses and two properties that he mortgaged to finance the concert. According to court documents, Mavado was also rescheduled to perform in Kampala on March 29, 2013, but failed to show up on both occasions.
Judge Margo K. Brodie has permitted Chinedu to amend his case to have Mavado recorded as a US citizen, which is his current citizenship status. The judge threatened to throw out the case on the grounds that neither Chinedu nor Mavado was a US citizen, and the presence of only foreign parties on both sides of the matter “destroys” the jurisdiction established at the start of the case.
The court has received evidence, including a promotional video for the show by Mavado, which was part of the agreement once 50% of the performance fee was paid. The court also heard that Mavado had another concert scheduled in Nigeria a few days prior to the Ugandan show. The Nigerian promoter failed to pay him for that concert, prompting Mavado to cancel everything in Africa.
Mavado’s attorney argued that the failure of the December 29, 2012 show was not a breach of the Performance Agreement but that the Ugandan’s alleged failure to make payments for travel and to pay the balance of the deposit fee by November 1, 2012, had voided the Performance Agreement and Mavado’s obligations.
The case, filed about a decade ago, highlights the importance of fulfilling contractual obligations in the entertainment industry. Concert promoters invest significant amounts of money to ensure that concerts are successful, and any failure to meet contractual obligations can have significant financial consequences.
