Susan Leader Quoted by Entertainment and Legal Media on Fraud/Breach of Contract Suit Filed Against Kanye West Collaborator

A fraud lawsuit filed by Akin Gump on behalf of Gentle Monster, a Korean-based fashion brand best known for its cutting-edge eyewear designs, has received coverage in several media outlets, spanning both the entertainment and legal industries. The suit alleges that Kanye West collaborator Malik Yusef got paid to help the company put together a video ad campaign for a new line of sunglasses, for which he said he would get celebrities to participate, but never intended to deliver on it.

The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard quote litigation partner Susan Leader, who is leading the firm’s representation, from the complaint as saying, “From their earliest interactions with Gentle Monster, defendants went out of their way to describe Yusef’s star-studded connections. They never missed an opportunity to mention that Yusef routinely works with artists like Beyoncé and Kanye, that he tours with Jay–Z, or that he vacations with Pharrell Williams.”

The complaint goes on to say that the defendants’ deception “was both flagrant and brazen. Specifically, they forged Kanye’s signature, created a shell entity named after Kanye’s deceased mother, issued fraudulent invoices made to appear as though they had been issued by legitimate talent agencies, lied about their contacts and work with artists, and, in the end, pocketed more than $2.5 million from Gentle Monster.”

Leader told Law360 that Gentle Monster, “invested millions of dollars in the project with the understanding that the funds were going to these artists. Unfortunately, Gentle Monster was deceived by Mr. Yusef.”

Other media outlets to cover the suit include TMZ, Spin and the New York Post.