Fyre: The Festival That Went Up in Flames

For my final project, my partner and I were assigned the catastrophe that is known as Fyre Festival. We investigated who was liable and the entire festival as a whole. The disastrous event left many in emotional and financial distress.

Fyre Festival was supposed to be a festival to promote Fyre Media, a company that allows people to book artists and influencers directly. The festival was marketed as an island fantasy with luxurious accommodations such as gourmet food and a chance to party with celebrities.

A young tech entrepreneur Billie Mcfarland and famous rapper Ja rule were the cofounders of Fyre Media and the Fyre Festival. Neither of the men had experience creating and assembling music festivals and their lack of experience was evident in the turnout and final product.

Billie and Ja Rule flew famous models to Saddleback Cay, the Bahamas for the festival's marketing campaign. Footage of models on yachts, partying on the beach and playing with pigs. A few days later the campaign launched and thousands of viewers bought tickets to attend the festival in April.

As the weeks passed, problems start to arise. The location moved from Saddleback Cay, the Bahamas to Excuma, the Bahamas. There was not adequate housing for the customers and Billie and Ja Rule got in over their heads.

Against the suggestions of many people, the men decided to continue with the festival. Artists heard about the catastrophe and started to pull out of the lineup. Attendees arrived in the Bahamas to discover a disorganized mess with emergency tents, mattresses still in the bag, and limited supplies such as food and water. Chaos ensued and multiple lawsuits followed.

As a result, ten lawsuits were filed by attendees and investors against Billie, Fyre Media, and the models in civil court for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and consumer protection.

The plaintiffs from the lawsuits claimed there were false representations, material omissions, negligence for the festival, and failure to organize, prepare, and provide attendees with the experience that McFarland marketed as being a luxurious private-island getaway. Some attendees compared the festival to the lord of the flies. Instead of the gourmet food they were promised, sad-looking cheese sandwiches were handed out. Emergency American Red Cross tents were set up instead of private yachts and villas. This caused immense emotional, physical, and financial distress to attendees and employees. Customers wanted a refund, employees wanted to be paid, and investors wanted to know where their money went. To discover the answer to their questions, they filed over ten lawsuits.

McFarland deflected the blame on outside factors such as the weather. As the lawsuits arose McFarland's reasons shifted to various mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and ADHD and needed significant medical treatment. The defense's arguments were discredited due to McFarland's continuous scamming. McFarland eventually plead guilty to his charges and settled many of the lawsuits. The co-creator of Fyre Festival, Ja Rule was originally included in the lawsuits but got out of them because he was not found liable. The influencers and models involved, specifically Kendall Jenner, were also sued but they were also not found liable.

While McFarland was out on bail for his initial charges, he began another scam called “NYC VIP Access” which forced the judge to ensure he did not get minimum sentencing. He was sentenced to six years in prison and three years of probation. He settled with a 2 million dollar class action settlement. Out of the 10,000 ticket holders, 277 won 7220 dollars in another class-action lawsuit. McFarland still owes millions of dollars to the investors and attendees in restitution. He is known as a fraudster and is currently still in jail. The defense attorneys were correct when they said Billie has mental illnesses and needs intense medical care. That is not an excuse for the multiple scams he's pulled and the missions of dollars he's earned fraudulently.