The organisers of the awful, memed-to-oblivion Fyre Festival have agreed on a $US7,220 ($9,333) per person settlement with 277 attendees of the 2017 event, according to the New York Times.
It’s hard to believe it has been almost four years since the festival – which was branded as the most luxurious music event in the world – left attendees eating sandwiches that looked like they came from the cafeteria of an underfunded school.
We’ve seen the infamous documentary in which Andy King offered to suck dick for bottles of drinking water and Billy McFarland has been sent to prison, but until Tuesday, the victims of Fyre Festival remained out of pocket.
The $US2 million class-action lawsuit between 277 ticket holders and the organisers of the event was settled in the US Bankruptcy Court in New York on Tuesday.
The settlement, which should see each guest receive $US7,220 (around $9,300), is still subject to final approval, which means it could be slightly lower depending on the company’s other bankruptcy issues with creditors.
But ultimately, the decision is a win for the nearly 300 ticket holders who have been fighting the battle since 2017.
The class-action lawsuit was filed just days after the 2017 event, with the complaint stating that co-founders McFarland and rapper Ja Rule had known for months that the event “was dangerously under equipped and posed a serious danger to anyone in attendance” and ultimately, should’ve cancelled earlier.
“Billy went to jail, ticket holders can get some money back, and some very entertaining documentaries were made,” the lead lawyer representing ticket holders Ben Meiselas said in an email. “Now that’s justice.”
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The event – scheduled over two weekends in August 2017 – was advertised as “the cultural experience of the decade.” Organisers promised luxury accommodation, gourmet food and the best musical acts for ticket holders who paid $US1,000-$US12,000 to attend.
But despite having mega influencers like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid promoting the event on social media, organisers failed to provide anything more than a few FEMA disaster relief tents and a cheese sandwich.
McFarland, the event’s co-founder and lead organiser, is serving a six-year prison sentence for wire fraud charges.
The settlement comes after McFarland was ordered to pay $US5 million to two North Carolina residents who paid $13,000 each for VIP tickets in 2018.
A hearing to approve Tuesday’s settlement is set for May 13.