WILKES-BARRE — A suit has been filed in Luzerne County court against Atlanta rapper Lil Baby, accusing him of breaching a contract after he allegedly failed to appear at a local bar for a performance this summer, costing the plaintiffs tens of thousands of dollars.
The suit was filed against Lil Baby by Omar Tejeda and Ariel Fernandez against the chart-topping rapper, along with his label, Quality Control Music. It was filed through the pair’s Drums attorney, Donald G. Karpowich.
Lil Baby, born Dominique Jones, 24, is perhaps best known for his hit singles “My Dawg,” “Drip Too Hard” and “Close Friends,” while Quality Control Music manages some of the biggest name stars in hip-hop, including acts like Migos, Lil Yachty, Cardi B and Trippie Redd.
According to the suit, Tejeda and Fernandez scheduled Lil Baby to perform at the Ashley nightclub Bentley’s International on July 20.
The pair say Lil Baby’s price to perform was $30,000, for which they paid an initial deposit of $15,000.
Tejeda and Fernandez also say they separately paid $21,750 to reserve VIP spaces. They then went on to pay $38,000 more for food, fees, an opening artist and other costs.
The suit alleges they sold $45,000 in tickets, but then one thing went wrong: Lil Baby didn’t show up.
The suit says Lil Baby gave no notification that he wouldn’t be coming to the show. The suit also suggests Lil Baby and Quality Control have retained the $15,000 paid to them in advance of the show.
Tejeda and Fernandez are accusing Lil Baby and Quality Control of breach of contract, unjust enrichment, fraud negligent misrepresentation. The final two claims come from the plaintiff’s belief that the artist had no intention of performing for $15,000, and took the money anyway.
They are seeking hundreds of thousands in damages from the court.
No response has yet been filed by representatives of Lil Baby and Quality Control.
This isn’t the first time a nationally known rapper has brought controversy to Bentley’s; in early 2018, New York City rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was slated to perform at the bar and others locally.
The performances were cancelled after articles were circulated showing 6ix9ine, real name Daniel Hernandez, had pleaded guilty to counts of child sex charges before his rise to fame in late 2017.
6ix9ine has been in prison since late 2018, after being arrested by federal investigators for his involvement in the street gang Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, a prominent set of the Bloods active throughout the Northeast region. 6ix9ine is currently awaiting sentencing on federal racketeering charges for his role in the street gang.
