Gunna Sues X Games Concert Promoters for Fraud: ‘Coordinated Scheme’

Gunna claims in a new lawsuit that shady concert promoters duped him into performing at this year’s X Games and never had the money to pay him.

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday (March 17) and first obtained and reported by Billboard, seeks to recover Gunna’s past-due performance fee of $750,000, plus extra financial damages for fraud, breach of contract and civil conspiracy.

Gunna (born Sergio Kitchens) alleges he agreed to perform at the X Games this past Jan. 22 in Aspen, Colo., based on the promise that a company called Mickle and Mickle Productions would pay him $500,000 by the end of the night. The contract stated that if payment wasn’t sent that day, an additional $250,000 fee would also kick in.

The payment never came, according to the lawsuit. This led to a lengthy back and forth between Gunna’s lawyers and Mickle and Mickle’s CEO, Daphney Mickle Golden, who allegedly stonewalled for weeks by claiming at various times that the funds were tied up in gold commodities, would be paid out via a “multibillion-dollar transaction involving multiple nations,” and would be borrowed either from a “major alcohol brand” or New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“Upon information and belief, no sponsorship funds, stakeholder funds, parade funds, commodity funds, or other third-party funding source referenced by defendants was ever secured, encumbered or deployed to satisfy plaintiff’s contractual entitlement,” write Gunna’s attorneys, Lawrence Hinkle and Jonathan Morris.

The lawsuit questions whether Mickle and Mickle is even a legitimate company, noting that Gunna’s lawyers haven’t been able to locate any business registration under that name. They’re accusing Golden of operating alongside a group of sketchy associates, including an anonymous individual identified by the name “The Secret” on email chains.

“The conduct described above reflects a coordinated scheme,” reads the complaint.

Gunna, suing through his company Gunna Touring LLC, is ultimately bringing claims against Mickle and Mickle, Golden, lawyer Ezekiel Bottorff and another promotion company called Stars in Action. The X Games itself is not accused of any wrongdoing.

The defendants did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday (March 17), nor did Gunna’s reps. A representative for the X Games also did not immediately return a request for comment.