Mirage Entm't, Inc. v. FEG Entretenimientos S.A.

326 F. Supp. 3d 26
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedAugust 29, 2018
Docket18cv581
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 326 F. Supp. 3d 26 (Mirage Entm't, Inc. v. FEG Entretenimientos S.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mirage Entm't, Inc. v. FEG Entretenimientos S.A., 326 F. Supp. 3d 26 (S.D. Ill. 2018).

Opinion

WILLIAM H. PAULEY III, Senior United States District Judge:

Mirage Entertainment, Inc. ("Mirage") and Mariah Carey ("Carey," and with Mirage, "Counterclaim Defendants") move to dismiss counterclaims asserted by FEG Entretenimientos S.A. ("FEG Argentina") and FEG S.A. ("FEG Chile," and with FEG Argentina, "Counterclaimants") in this breach of contract action. Counterclaimants assert that Counterclaim Defendants breached three contracts between the parties by unilaterally cancelling two South American concerts without affording Counterclaimants an opportunity to cure. Counterclaimants also allege that a 2016 tweet (the "Tweet") that Carey posted to her Twitter account was defamatory. For the reasons that follow, Counterclaim Defendants' motion to dismiss is granted in part and denied in part.

BACKGROUND

The allegations in the Counterclaims are accepted as true on this motion. Counterclaimants are South American concert promoters. (Countercls. for Breach of Contract & Defamation, ECF No. 14 ("Counterclaims") ¶¶ 4-5, 10.) Mirage operates as Carey's "loan out corporation."1 (Counterclaims ¶¶ 6, 11.) In essence, Mirage contracts with others for Carey's live performances. (Counterclaims ¶ 11.) Non-party United Talent Agency ("UTA") coordinates transactions between artists and concert promoters. (Counterclaims ¶ 11.)

In June 2016, FEG Argentina and Mirage contracted for Carey to perform in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 28, 2016 (the "Argentina Agreement"). (Counterclaims ¶¶ 15-17.) FEG Argentina agreed to pay Mirage a fee of $575,000 in installments. (Counterclaims ¶¶ 17-18.) FEG Argentina executed the Argentina Agreement and delivered it to UTA in late September 2016. (Counterclaims ¶ 18.) FEG Chile and Mirage also contracted for Carey to perform in Santiago, Chile on October 30, 2016 (the "Chile Agreements," and with the Argentina Agreement, the "Agreements"). (Counterclaims ¶¶ 20-22.) In two separate contracts, FEG Chile agreed to pay Carey a fee of $425,000 and a net payment of $175,000 for airfare and travel. (Counterclaims ¶¶ 20, 22.) Like the Argentina Agreement, the Chile Agreements set schedules for installment payments. (Counterclaims ¶¶ 23-24.) FEG Chile executed the Chile Agreements and delivered them to UTA in late September 2016. (Counterclaims ¶ 23.)

Under the Agreements, Carey had the right to cancel her performances if Counterclaimants *31failed to make timely installment payments. (Counterclaims ¶ 25.) But each contract provided a notice and cure provision: if Counterclaim Defendants believed that Counterclaimants were in breach, they agreed to provide written notification of the reasons for such breach and afford forty-eight hours to cure. (Counterclaims ¶ 26.)

Counterclaimants' payments were due in full by either September 8, 2016 or September 15, 2016. (See Decl. of Jordan W. Siev in Supp. of Counter-Defs.' Mot. to Dismiss, ECF No. 38 ("Siev Decl."), Exs. 1, 3.)2 Counterclaimants failed to make payments according to the installment schedules. As of October 25, 2016, they had "wired a total of $703,100 to UTA ... nearly 75% of all funds due." (Counterclaims ¶ 27.) In fact, Counterclaimants made late and/or deficient payments throughout late 2016 and never received objection from Counterclaim Defendants. (Counterclaims ¶¶ 30-32.) Counterclaimants allege that this was consistent with their business custom-installment schedules were rarely followed but "artists were always paid in full." (Counterclaims ¶ 12.)

On October 25, 2018, three days before the Argentina concert, Counterclaimants learned through media reports that Carey had cancelled the Argentina and Chile performances. (Counterclaims ¶¶ 36-37.) That evening, Carey tweeted "Devastated my shows in Chile, Argentina & Brazil3 had to be cancelled. My fans deserve better than how some of these promoters treated them." (Counterclaims ¶ 41.) The Tweet linked to an E! News tweet, which in turn linked to an E! News article titled "Mariah Carey Cancels Part of her Latin America Tour Citing Promoter Negligence." (Counterclaims ¶ 42.) In that article, E! News reported that Carey had been forced to cancel the South American leg of her tour due to "promoter negligence." Mike Vulpo, Mariah Carey Cancels Part of Her Latin America Tour Citing Promoter Negligence, E! News (Jan. 10, 2017), https://www.eonline.com/news/804645/mariah-carey-cancels-part-of-her-latin-america-tour-citing-promoter-negligence. On October 26, 2016, Carey's production manager confirmed cancellation of the performances by email and UTA then returned more than $600,000 to Counterclaimants. (Counterclaims ¶¶ 38-39.)

In January 2017, Mirage sued Counterclaimants in California state court, asserting breach of contract. (See Decl. of Robert E. Allen in Supp. of Defs.' Notice of Removal of Action Under 28 U.S.C. § 1441(a), ECF No. 1-1, Ex. A ("Original Compl."); Ex. D, at 6-7.) In December 2017, Counterclaimants removed the action to the United States District Court for the Central District of California. (Defs.' Notice of Removal of Action Under 28 U.S.C. § 1441(a), ECF No. 1, at 1-2.) In January 2018, Counterclaimants filed an unopposed motion to transfer to this district. (Defs.' Notice of Mot. and Unopposed Mot. to Transfer Venue, ECF No. 12, at 1-2.) While that motion was pending, Counterclaimants answered and asserted these counterclaims. Although the original claims were brought solely by Mirage, Counterclaimants added Carey as a counterclaim defendant. The Central District of California subsequently granted Counterclaimants' transfer motion. (See Order Granting Defs.' Mot. to Transfer Venue to *32the Southern District of New York, ECF No. 16.)

In their motion to dismiss, Counterclaim Defendants contend that emails sent by UTA to Counterclaimants demonstrate that Counterclaimants were provided notice of breach and an opportunity to cure, meaning that Counterclaim Defendants did not unilaterally breach the Agreements. They also contend that Carey is an improper defendant for the breach of contract counterclaims. Finally, Counterclaim Defendants contend that the defamation counterclaim should be dismissed.

LEGAL STANDARD

"To avoid dismissal, a complaint must plead 'enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.' " Hardaway v. Hartford Public Works Dep't, 879 F.3d 486, 489 (2d Cir. 2018) (citing Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955

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326 F. Supp. 3d 26, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mirage-entmt-inc-v-feg-entretenimientos-sa-ilsd-2018.