The most high-profile celebrity lawsuits of all time

The 1975 to face class action lawsuit over Good Vibes Festival cancellation in Malaysia

Stars Insider

26/07/23 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Law

Once you hit a certain level of fame or a certain bank account balance, lawsuits become inevitable. Realistically, we'd probably all get sued for libel if all of our social media posts and conversations were analyzed with a fine-tooth comb! It's no wonder then that celebrities are constantly besieged with legal problems. Many of these lawsuits seem outrageously frivolous, while others deal with incredibly serious matters.

A class action lawsuit is being readied against The 1975 by Malaysian artists and festival vendors over the cancellation of the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur following lead singer Matty Healy's tirade against the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws and his "performative" kiss with bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage. “I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” Healy said on stage, as same-sex acts are criminalized in Malaysia and punishable by fines and up to 20 years in prison. Their set was cut short and the Ministry of Communications and Digital promptly canceled the rest of the festival.

Not only was Healy criticized for "performative activism," which many said disrupted and discounted years of work by local LGBTQ+ activists who actually have skin in the game,  but the band was also criticized for the major effect their halfway activism had on locals. As a viral tweet thread by Joe Lee read: "The real victims of this situation are 1. The Malaysian LGBTQ+ community, who are now left to deal with the aftermath. 2. The Malaysia live concert industry which is struggling to bounce back post pandemic.”

The lawsuit, readied by Malaysian law firm Thomas Philip, reflects that, and will name all four members of The 1975 and seek compensation over losses suffered as a result of the "deliberate reckless act," firm’s founder Matthew Thomas Philip said, per NME. “My view is that The 1975 must be held responsible and accountable for the losses suffered by the artists and vendors." The firm is acting pro bono, and as of July 25  five artists and five vendors were on board the class action. Future Sound Asia, the company behind the festival, added that while international artists are paid in full prior to the event, local artists are typically paid after, but "the unforeseen cancellation of the festival does throw a spanner in the works," and though they won't join the lawsuit, they offered their help. Additionally, 28 food vendors who spent thousands in Malaysian ringgit to prepare for the festival, on top of paying upfront to rent a stall on site, are experiencing a huge financial blow. The 1975 have yet to make a statement. 

Click through this to look back at more of the most high-profile celebrity lawsuits of all time.

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