Organizers of failed Fyre Festival named in class action lawsuit

It was supposed to be a music festival for the ages, a Coachella for the luxury minded, but organizers of the now-postponed Fyre Festival are under fire themselves and may see the inside of a courtroom.

Daniel Jung has filed a $100 million class action lawsuit against the organizers of Fyre Festival,  alleging fraud on their part, saying that that the "lack of adequate food, water, shelter and medical care created a dangerous and panicked situation among attendees -- suddenly finding themselves stranded on a remote island without basic provisions," ABC News reported.

Concert goers paid between $4,000 and $100,000 per person for ticket packages for the Fyre Festival.

The private island of Fyre Cay was put on lock down, with some concert fans trapped on the island, because organizers did not pay customs duty taxes on items they imported for the concert, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism told ABC News.

Complicating matters more, organizers advised concert goers to upload funds on a wristband, making the event cashless, and not allowing those on the island access to the funds needed to book transportation home, The LA Times reported.

The attorney who has taken up the case said that the organizers “need to step up and make this right but unfortunately, the opposite has occurred.”

The suit names Ja Rule, listed as Jeffery Atkins, tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland and Fyre Media as defendants.

Credit: Christopher Smith

Credit: Christopher Smith

They have not spoken about the suit, but Ja Rule did respond on Twitter to the concert’s cancellation and allegations that the event was a scam.

He vehemently said it was not a scam and that he is trying to “make it right by making sure everyone is refunded.”

Organizers have promised via the festival's website that all tickets will be refunded and will be in touch with those affected.

Images from the would-be concert went viral last week.

About the Author