Usher Moves Forward With Restaurant Loan Lawsuit Against Collaborator Bryan-Michael Cox
Categoria: Musica
A judge says the R&B star has brought sufficient legal claims over a $700,000 loan balance.
Por Billboard | 14/05/2026
Usher has won a court ruling allowing him to proceed with $700,000 legal claims against music producer Bryan-Michael Cox over a loan for a failed Atlanta restaurant. A Monday (May 11) ruling in Fulton County court, first obtained and reported by Billboard , says Cox and his business partners cannot dismiss the lawsuit brought against them by the star (born Usher Raymond IV) this past November. This means the case will now move forward into evidence discovery and toward a possible trial. Related Usher Sues Music Producer Over Failed Atlanta Restaurant, Says His $700K Loan Was Never Repaid Backline Launches Mental Health Toolkit for Dance Music Community: 'Seeking Help Is Not Something to Be Ashamed Of' Fugees' Pras Michel Surrenders to Authorities to Begin 14-Year Prison Sentence, Vows to Appeal Cox, whose work with Usher and other R&B artists like Mariah Carey earned him a spot on Billboard ’s top producers of the 21st century list , was part of a team that developed plans for a restaurant called “Homage ATL” in 2024. Cox’s business partners in the project were songwriter Keith Thomas , who’s also credited on multiple Usher hits, including the chart-topper “Love In This Club,” and Charles Hughes , who was previously involved in T.I.’s own troubled Atlanta restaurant . Usher alleges these men approached him in 2024 about investing in the restaurant as a full partner and that he declined, instead opting to lend them $1.7 million to help fund the purchase of a $6 million building in Atlanta’s upscale Buckhead neighborhood. The real estate deal ultimately fell through, and Usher asked for his money back. According to the lawsuit, the group’s attorney, Alcide Honoré , returned $1 million to Usher. But $700,000 is still missing — and the singer says Honoré effectively admitted that the funds had been improperly spent elsewhere. Now, Usher is leveling breach of contract claims against Cox, Thomas, Hughes and Honoré over the loan balance. Cox and Thomas both argued that a judge should dismiss them from the case because Honoré was the sole person responsible for processing Usher’s loan, and they had no involvement in the movement of the funds. But Judge Craig L. Schwall Sr. denied the motion during a Monday hearing in Atlanta. Related Yeah! Chris Brown & Usher Reveal North American R&B Tour Dates “Construing the pleadings in plaintiff’s favor, those allegations are sufficient to survive dismissal at the pleading stage,” wrote the judge in his order. “Plaintiff has plausibly alleged that the moving defendants solicited, directed, benefited from, or retained the funds at issue, notwithstanding that the funds were routed through defendant Honoré’s attorney trust account.” Hughes has not responded to the lawsuit. Honoré, meanwhile, countersued Usher last year for interfering with his reputation. Judge Schwall ruled Monday that this counterclaim “appears inartfully pled and may ultimately prove