Mariah Carey Sues Over Canceled Concerts in South America

Mariah Carey is suing a South American concert promoter after she canceled shows in Argentina in Chile because they didn’t pay her in full, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. 

Mirage Entertainment on Tuesday sued FEG Entretenimientos for breach of contract, claiming their late payments gave Carey the right to cancel and be paid in full — but the company accused the star of damaging their brand by failing to perform.

“In the music industry everyone knows the familiar story of the deceitful promoter that promises to pay and fails to deliver,” writes attorney Bryan Freedman in the complaint. “This lawsuit is filed in part not only to confirm the multiple breaches of the contracts by FEG … but to warn the artistic community not to trust any promises from FEG.”

According to the complaint, FEG agreed in June to a guaranteed fee for Carey’s performance and was required to pay that fee in a series of scheduled payments. The first payment was due the day after the contract was signed, another was due the next month and the final payment was due in September.

Carey was set to perform on Oct. 28 in Argentina and on Oct. 30 in Chile, but by Oct. 25 there was still a large unpaid balance for both of the shows and the singer canceled.

With only days remaining before the shows, Freedman argues that it was unreasonable to expect Carey to undertake the expenses of traveling such a long distance with the team and equipment needed for the concerts on the faith that the payments would be made.

In addition to damage to her reputation, Carey says she missed out on other lucrative projects which she declined because of the later-canceled shows.