Canadian rapper Drake will arrive in Chicago for a performance Thursday night — just in time to be hit with a lawsuit for allegedly bailing out on previous appearances in the city.
A Chicago-based company filed suit against the singer and his talent agency to the tune of $200,000 over dropped concert events.
Status Entertainment and representatives of its partner company, Show-n-Off Entertainment, filed the suit Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court against Aubrey Drake Graham, the Canadian musician better known by his stage name, Drake; and his talent agency, OVO Touring, LLC.
The plaintiffs claim they invested $202,800 in OVO Touring over a nearly two-year period to fund and promote Drake’s Chicago concerts, but were not refunded the money when multiple concert dates fell through.
The suit claims the investments were supposed to fund three concerts featuring Drake, all of which fell through, including a March 15, 2012, performance at UIC Pavilion; and an Oct. 18 concert at the Allstate Arena.
From November 2012 to April 2013, the plaintiffs emailed and called executives at OVO asking for the money, but nothing has been returned, they claim.
The six-count suit alleges breach of contract, unjust enrichment, fraud and violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, among other things.
It seeks a reimbursement for lost profits, plus attorney’s fees and other unspecified damages.
The rapper will be back in Chicago Thursday for a performance at the United Center. Neither he nor OVO Touring could be reached for comment Wednesday night.