Creed Lawsuit Has A Chance, Says Legal Writer

04/26/2003 10:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
LAUNCH Radio Networks

(4/26/03, 10 a.m. ET) -- A lawsuit filed by four fans because of a bad performance by the band Creed actually has a chance in the legal system, according to Chicago Sun Times legal reporter Abdon Pallasch.

The fans filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois charging that during a December 29 concert at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, singer Scott Stapp was "so intoxicated and/or medicated that he was unable to sing the lyrics of a single Creed song." The fans are seeking parking and ticket reimbursement, and they also want to make it a class action suit. Potential damage could come close to $2 million.

Pallasch said its the first time in memory that fans have sued a band for a sub-par performance, and he added that the suit may not be easily thrown out of court by the presiding judge. "It looks like a legitimate suit that could actually go places," Pallasch said. "Most of these suits end up settling before trial, and if Creed's attorneys realize that they're going to have to spend a whole lot of time and money defending the suit just trying to stop it from being certified a class, or if it gets certified a class trying to stop it from going to trial, they may decide it's just not worth the hassle and just go ahead and settle."

He said that possible settlements deals might include "offering everybody a full-refund, free ticket next time, or 30 bucks off their next ticket or something like that. They'll see what kind of deal they can make."

Creed is currently working on its forthcoming album, the follow-up to Weathered.

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