Miami Design District venue sues embattled entertainer Kanye West over unpaid $146K bill
MIAMI -- A venue in the Miami Design District has filed a civil lawsuit against embattled entertainer Kanye West over an unpaid bill for nearly $146,000 that stemmed from a venue space that was rented and customized at the rapper's request but never used, according to the court document.
Surface Media filed the suit this week in the Southern District of Florida in an effort to collect the money for rental costs and customization orders allegedly requested by the rapper.
According to the court document, the rapper approached the "shoppable showroom with a curated art collection, design objects, and furniture" that is located in the Miami Design District in January.
West had approached officials and "discussed customizing the space to the Defendant's needs, desires and specifications, including the removal of certain art pieces and furniture from the space and bringing in other art pieces and furniture to match the Defendant's desired color scheme. Additionally, the parties discussed rental duration, rental fees, moving costs, purchases, etc.," the court document says.
Officials said Kanye approved the proposed budget verbally and via text messages but then did not pay the $145,813 expense to rent the venue, which amounted to $5,000 per day for 25 days and moving costs in the amount of $20,000.
The court document said West also agreed to buy four office chairs for $813.
"My client pulled off what was essentially an overnight transformation of its art studio into a recording studio for Ye and accompanying artists," Jonathan Smulevich, a local lawyer at Lowy and Cook and who is representing Surface Area's parent company Surface Media, told the Miami Herald. "In doing so, no request was too big or too small - Ye asked, and they delivered - and my client incurred significant costs and expenses to deliver."
Neither West or anyone affiliated with him have publicly commented on the lawsuit.
Antisemitic comments made by the rapper in recent days have ignited an uproar and led to
A completed documentary about the rapper has been shelved.
He was recently restricted from posting on Twitter and Instagram over antisemitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies.
The entertainer has also suggested slavery was a choice and called the COVID-19 vaccine the "mark of the beast." Earlier this month, Ye was criticized for wearing a "White Lives Matter" T-shirt to the showing of his latest collection at Paris Fashion Week.