RALEIGH, N.C. (CelebrityAccess) Two victims of the notorious Fyre Festival are the first to be awarded damages for their experiences at the event, with a North Carolina judge awarding them $5 million for their mental anguish.
Blogger Seth Crossno and co-plaintiff Mark Thompson of Raleigh, N.C., filed a 47-page lawsuit against festival promoter Billy McFarland in May. McFarland is currently in jail, facing two counts of wire fraud.
A North Carolina judge granted the plaintiffs $5 million for their “mental anguish” from the event experience, according to Vice.
Crossno and Thompson claimed they spent $13,000 on luxury VIP packages that included “residence consisting of four rooms and a living area” on the private island where the festival was held – or was supposed to be held. Instead, they were stuck in rescue tents and fed cheese sandwiches, watched as a Bahamian native walked around and near the site with a machine gun and, while attempting to leave, were locked overnight in an airport.
According to Crossno’s attorney, Stacy Miller, each plaintiff asked for $25,000 minimum (the amount needed to trigger a lawsuit in North Carolina) but were granted $1.5 million each in compensatory damages plus an additional $1 million in punitive damages for the hotel and flight charges plus mental anguish, pain and suffering, Vice said.
“We feel very satisfied,” Miller told the magazine. “We asked the court to send a message to those who defraud North Carolina consumers, and we believe he did.”
McFarland, who is facing a flurry of charges, may not have the money to compensate the plaintiffs but, according to Miller, could have $50,000 tucked away and a monthly income of $40,000. McFarland was recently accused of selling fake tickets to events like the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Crossno became an internet star during the Fyre Festival for his efforts to live blog about it, including some of the more famed tweets from the event showing the conditions of the campground.
This sums up Fyre Festival. #fyre #fyrefestival #fyrefest pic.twitter.com/x4xcFBL8Yg
— William Needham Finley IV (@WNFIV) April 28, 2017
The Fyre Festival touted itself as a festival for millennials with lots of disposable income, promising an island getaway filled with music, events, top models and even swimming with pigs. Instead, it was the very definition of nothing, and a documentary is in the works on the now famous event, or non-event.
