Mariah Carey is caught in a legal battle with a South American concert promoter over her right to cancel two performances in October 2016. Last January, Carey sued FEG Entretenimientos for breach of contract, claiming the promoter did not pay her in full by the agreed date for shows in Argentina and Chile, The Hollywood Reporter details.
FEG has now countersued Carey and her company, Mirage Entertainment, for $3m, citing breach of contract and defamation. Carey pulled out of the shows on 25 October 2016, three days before the concert in Argentina. FEG claims it had paid her more than $700,000 (£502,000) by this date, accounting for roughly 75% of her fee.
According to FEG’s complaint, Carey was required to give 48 hours to allow them to fix any failure in its obligations before terminating the agreement. However, the promoter claims to have found out about Carey’s cancellation through social media.
“Devastated my shows in Chile, Argentina & Brazil had to be cancelled,” the singer tweeted. “My fans deserve better than how some of these promoters treated them.”
Devastated my shows in Chile, Argentina & Brazil had to be cancelled. My fans deserve better than how some of these promoters treated them. https://t.co/zuEXQL12Ek
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) October 26, 2016
FEG described her statements as false and defamatory, and state in the lawsuit that it believes Carey cancelled the shows due to low ticket sales. It seeks upwards of $1m in damages resulting from the cancelled performances, and $2m in damages for defamation. Carey has yet to respond publicly to the countersuit.
