Folks impacted by the infamous Fyre Festival scam of 2017—which was immortalized in documentaries by both Netflix and Hulu—may finally be receiving compensation after nearly four years since the event.
The $2 million class-action settlement was reached on Tuesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York between the Fyre Festival organizers and 277 ticket holders, People magazine reported.
That means that ticket holders could walk away with up to $7,200 each, subject to the court's approval.
Ben Meiselas was the lead lawyer representing the attendees and was happy to tell People that "justice" had been served: "Billy [McFarland] went to jail, ticket holders can get some money back, and some great documentaries were made. Now that's what I call justice."
Alongside rapper Ja Rule, Billy McFarland was one of the co-founders of the festival and as a result of his fraudulent actions, is now serving six years in prison for his connection to the event. Back in March 2018, he pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud as a result of swindling over 80 investors out of a collective $26 million.
What was the Fyre Festival scandal?
If you don't already know, the 2017 Fyre Festival was initially one of the most coveted events that had influencers scrambling to score a ticket. Festival organizers charged anywhere from $1,000 to $12,000 a ticket with the promise of a luxurious getaway on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma.
Attendees were supposed to enjoy high-end accommodations and chef-prepped meals, as well as performances by Blink-182 and Migos and appearances by stylish celebrities like Kendall Jenner.
What attendees got, however, was anything but luxurious. Flimsy tents and cheese sandwiches served from the back of trucks replaced the elegant accommodations promised.
One attendee famously posted about the poor conditions on Twitter: "The dinner that @fyrefestival promised us was catered by Steven Starr is literally bread, cheese, and salad with dressing. #fyrefestival"
The dinner that @fyrefestival promised us was catered by Steven Starr is literally bread, cheese, and salad with dressing. #fyrefestival pic.twitter.com/I8d0UlSNbdApril 28, 2017
Musical guests even dropped out over the lack of organization and low-scale accommodations.
To makes matters worse, the guests were stranded on the island and had to sleep inside the airport terminals until they could return home.
What did we get from it though? Lots of drama and two great documentaries to binge!
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