Bottle Rock Festival Counter-Sues Tour Bus Company

NAPA, California (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The promoters behind the Bottle Rock Festival in Napa Valley have countersued a tour bus company, alleging that the company placed them under financial duress by engaging in unfair business practices, including the use of threats.

The lawsuit on behalf of Bob Vogt and Gabe Meyers's BR Festivals LLC is seeking $500,000 in damages from Gary Bauer's company Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation, claiming that one day before the festival, the tour bus company demanded guarantees, the Napa Valley Register reported. The lawsuit also alleges that Bauer's company failed to provide the requisite number of busses and that the busses they did provide, failed to operate on time.

“Bauer’s threatened not to provide the transportation and contacted others to exert pressure on the Festival,” the complaint filed in Napa County Superior Court read.

The lawsuit was filed counter to a previous lawsuit filed by Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation, seeking $524,239 in unpaid bills from the festival.

Bauer's attorney, Aaron Hancock, told the Napa Valley Register that his client's company had done nothing unusual in seeking guarantees from BR Festivals LLC is a standard business practice with a first-time client.

“Bauer’s did what any good businessman would do,” Hancock told the Napa Valley Register. “They demanded collateral. And got it.”

Bauer's isn't the only lawsuit that BR Festivals is facing. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees has also sued them seeking allegedly more than $2 million in unpaid bills and alleges that the festival refuses to engage in contractually required arbitration.

Among the list of outstanding bills, as compiled by Napa Valley Register and ABC News, were $630,000 to the stage hands; $190,000 to a caterer; $217,000 to a security company; and $106,000 to the City of Napa. In addition, as much as a million in donations promised to various charities remains unpaid as well.

The four-day festival was held from May 9-12 in California's Napa Valley. The lineup featured Janes Addiction, The Avett Brothers, The Black Crowes, The Shins, The Flaming Lips and numerous other acts. – Staff Writers