Two Fyre Festival attendees have won $5 million for their "pain and suffering"
The first lawsuit against founder Billy McFarland has proven successful
Results from a handful of lawsuits issued from the viral downfall of 2017's ill-fated "luxury" Fyre Festival have come in, in favor for attendees that were falsely promised a boutique, island music festival.
Two men named Seth Crossno and Mark Thompson are the first out of a handful of lawsuits currently ongoing against festival founder Billy McFarland to be awarded $5 million in damages in a lawsuit filed in Raleigh, North Carolina. Judge Keith Gregory granted them each $1.5 million in compensatory damages, along with an additional $1 million in punitive damages for flights, hotels and mental anguish, pain and suffering.
In the lawsuit, Crossno and Thompson reportedly spent about $13,000 for their VIP Fyre Festival experience, which included all-access wristbands and a luxury residence (promised four rooms and a living room area) on the private island.
The decision was made in Billy McFarland's absence, as he reportedly has not responded to court proceedings for over a year and is currently in jail. He currently faces a 40-year sentence for fraud charges.
"[McFarland] created this big event. He lured these young men away from their homes to another country," Raleigh lawyer Stacey Miller, representing Seth Crossno and Mark Thompson, said. "It was a very dangerous and scary situation.”
Festival co-creator Ja Rule was originally also named in the lawsuit, but was later removed as part of an agreement between the parties.
A documentary about the Fyre Festival fiasco is currently in the works for Hulu, set to release in 2019.