Ja Rule reportedly cleared in Fyre Festival lawsuit: ‘Total vindication’
Rapper Ja Rule is cleared of any liability for what happened in the failed Fyre Festival, with a judge absolving him of responsibility for the fiasco
A judge has reportedly dismissed an appeal to keep Ja Rule on as a defendant in a $100 million class-action lawsuit involving the now infamous Frye Festival fiasco.
According to Yahoo, the “Livin’ It Up” rapper — whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins — was initially named as a defendant in the case brought by disgruntled attendees of the ill-fated 2017 event in the Bahamas that has since gained notoriety on social media. But now several sources have confirm he has been cleared.
READ MORE: ‘Heartbroken’ Ja Rule apologizes for Fyre Festival debacle
Back in July, U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel cleared Ja Rule, 43, and Fyre Media’s chief marketing officer Grant Margolin of any involvement in defrauding people. But lawyers for the plaintiff maintained the entertainer needed to remain a defendant, citing an incriminating tweet from him and segments shown in the two Fyre Festival documentaries, Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and Fyre Fraud as evidence of his complicity.
But Castel ruled that just because the two promoted the failed event didn’t mean they knew that people were going to be victims of fraudulent activity. Billboard also obtained the judge’s order which confirms that he didn’t find any clear proof that anyone bought tickets to the event because of the artist’s promotion.
READ MORE: Ja Rule fights back against Fyre Festival documentaries
Ja Rule’s lawyer, Ryan Hayden Smith, says the judge’s decision is “nothing short of a total vindication of Mr. Atkins.”
While Ja Rule may be in the clear, Fyre festival co-founder Billy McFarland, the legal woes continue even though he is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for his role in the scandal.
Despite how horribly the Fyre Festival turned out, as recently as last month Atkins said he still wants another shot at throwing the type of event they’d originally set out to create.
“Here’s the thing: I want to do it the right way with the right partners,” he told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. “Here’s what I happen to know. I have the biggest festival in the world even though it never happened.”
To which Cohen said, “I mean, it’s like calling a ship the Titanic.”
READ MORE: Irv Gotti doesn’t blame Ja Rule for Fyre Festival scandal: “It was crazy”
