Outside lawyers and industry experts well-versed in estate law say it is difficult to speculate on the outcome of this atypical case. At heart, Womack’s suit argues that Lil Peep’s music company had a responsibility for his well-being - something FAE vehemently contested last year, saying that pinning the responsibility of the overdose on the company would be going “far beyond the contractual obligations and reasonable expectations of parties doing business” and that a ruling in the estate’s favor would “convert businesses engaged in the music and entertainment industries into full-time babysitters for artists.” The music industry has been following the thorny case with nervous anticipation, as its outcome could change the way the multibillion-dollar business operates with regards to its young stars. I nonetheless wish her and her family well and I hope they find peace.” Ortega, via his attorney, said in a statement that he sympathizes with Womack’s desire to find answers, as a parent himself, but “her lawsuit against me is entirely baseless, misguided, and without merit. Neither Mercer’s lawyer nor attorneys representing FAE replied to multiple requests for comment. “Importantly, it does not deal with conduct prior to Gus’ death.” “The cross-complaint by FAE was a compulsory one and is fairly standard,” says Matiasic. Womack’s legal team dismisses the significance of FAE’s cross-complaint, which does not pertain to the circumstances that led to Lil Peep’s overdose.
The Peep estate “acted maliciously, with ill will, and by wrongful or improper means to establish and operate a competing merchandise business,” FAE says in its cross-complaint, noting that its joint-venture agreements with Peep had stipulated that FAE would get a significant cut of any merch revenue. T hree weeks ago, on October 30th, FAE hit back with allegations of its own - countering that Womack breached contracts by selling posthumous Lil Peep merchandise without FAE’s involvement or approval. “We’re feeling very confident about the outcome of this case once we get our day in court.” “The plaintiff feels very gratified by the stage that this case is in at this juncture,” Paul Matiasic, Womack’s attorney, tells Rolling Stone. Another judge recently dismissed one cause of action alleged against Mercer and manager Chase Ortega - while upholding the majority of others against these two individuals. His mother and estate administrator Liza Womack filed suit in October 2019 against FAE, alleging that the management and record services company pushed her son into “asymmetrical” joint-venture business agreements, breached its contracts by not ensuring his safety, and was actively “plying and propping him up” with drugs while he was under the supervision of its agents and managers.Īccording to court documents filed in July 2020 and reviewed by Rolling Stone, Womack’s legal team has since amended their legal argument to make the explicit case that various tour managers hired by FAE had provided some portion of the drugs that contributed to Åhr’s death.Ī judge has upheld all 10 causes of action that Womack has alleged against FAE. On November 15th, 2017 - shortly after his 21st birthday - Åhr died of an overdose from Xanax and fentanyl on a tour bus near Tucson, Arizona. Peep, whose real name is Gustav Elijah Åhr, soared to popularity on SoundCloud as a teenager and signed a multi-year contract with First Access Entertainment (FAE) in 2016. While Peep’s mother alleges that his label set him up with unfair contracts and directly contributed to his death, the label is now countering with its own claims against the estate. Three years since Lil Peep’s death, the legal battle over who’s responsible for the young rap star’s drug overdose is more intense than ever.
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