Usher Raymond has initiated authorized proceedings in opposition to his longtime collaborator Bryan Michael Cox, demanding compensation of funds superior for an Atlanta restaurant undertaking that by no means materialized.

According to reports, the R&B celebrity filed swimsuit in Fulton County Superior Court on Friday, focusing on Cox alongside Keith Thomas, Charles Hughes, and leisure legal professional Alcide Honoré.

The authorized motion facilities on a $1.7 million advance Raymond supplied in January for a proposed Buckhead institution known as Homage ATL.

Cox, whose manufacturing credit embrace Raymond’s chart-toppers “Burn” and “U Got It Bad,” approached the Grammy winner final 12 months about buying the previous Ocean Prime location at 3102 Piedmont Road.

According to court docket paperwork, Raymond declined to take a position however agreed to offer financing via a mortgage association. The funds have been transferred to a belief account, with the expectation that the property buy would proceed expeditiously.

Months handed with out the actual property transaction being accomplished, prompting Raymond to request mortgage compensation in the course of the summer season months. While $1 million was returned in August, the remaining $700,000 steadiness has not been glad.

The lawsuit alleges that Honoré acknowledged the problem of repaying the excellent quantity, stating it was “not that easy” as a result of the cash had been used for “other purposes.”

Raymond’s authorized workforce is pursuing $4.9 million in whole damages, calculating $700,000 for every of seven distinct claims outlined within the submitting. The defendants haven’t but filed responses or counterclaims as of Tuesday.

The failed restaurant enterprise represents an uncommon enterprise dispute between Raymond and Cox, whose collaborative historical past contains a few of modern R&B’s most recognizable hits.

Cox’s manufacturing firm, Blackbaby Inc., has formed the sound of quite a few chart-topping data throughout a number of many years.

The four-time Grammy-winning producer has maintained knowledgeable relationship with Raymond spanning over 20 years, contributing to the singer’s most profitable albums, together with the diamond-certified Confessions.

Usher is not new to the restaurant business. Last 12 months, he opened his first Dave’s Hot Chicken franchise.

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