Usher is suing one of his longtime music producers, other associates and their attorney over a loan he says he gave them for a Buckhead restaurant that never opened.
According to WSBTV.com, Usher Raymond filed the lawsuit in Fulton County on Friday against Bryan-Michael Cox, Keith Thomas, Charles Hughes and entertainment lawyer Alcide Honoré. Cox has produced some of Usher’s biggest hits, including “Burn” and “U Got It Bad.” Thomas and Hughes also work in the entertainment industry.
Usher says the group came to him last year with the idea to open a restaurant and lounge called Homage ATL. The singer did not want to be an investor, but agreed to loan the group $1.7 million and wired it to a trust account in January, according to the lawsuit.
He received $1 million in August, but said he hasn’t received the remaining balance of $700,000. Usher’s lawsuit accuses Honoré of admitting that giving the money back was “not that easy” because it had been used for “other purposes.”
The lawsuit requests $4.9 million in damages, $700,000 for each of the seven claims in the lawsuit.
Cox responded to the suit with an Instagram post.
“I’ve learned a lot recently about being careful with who you choose to invest in a business with, no matter how small the investment,” Cox said in the caption of a photo of him and Usher.
“I’m currently in the middle of a failed deal that I didn’t orchestrate, and while the situation has been disappointing, I know my name will be cleared by both sides. While I’m unable to share more details right now, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: my 27-year friendship with Usher remains fully intact.