Source: Channel News Asia



Singer Rain wins lawsuit over cancelled US concerts

SEOUL - A South Korean court Thursday dismissed a lawsuit claiming almost four million dollars from singer and actor Rain, ruling he was not to blame for cancelled concerts during a troubled US tour.

Local entertainment group Wellmade STARM sued Rain and his agency JYP Entertainment in March last year for 4.57 billion won (3.95 million dollars) in damages.

The group, which financed Rain's US tour in 2006-2007, claimed he breached a contract with it by failing to perform 16 concerts.

Judge Bae Kwang-Kuk said in his ruling, quoted by Yonhap news agency, that poor preparations by US promoters led to Rain's aborted concerts.

The ruling came seven months after Rain settled a separate lawsuit over a cancelled concert in Honolulu in 2007.

A US court had ordered him and his agency to pay more than eight million dollars for breaching a contract with Hawaiian promoter Click Entertainment to perform the concert.

An agreement was reached last June to settle the case and avoid an appeal, Details were not disclosed.

Rain argued in the US case that the concert stage was not properly set up for him, and that he was unable to use his name in the United States because of a copyright challenge from a US Beatles tribute band also called Rain.

The 26-year-old singer, whose real name is Jung Ji-Hoon, is one of South Korea's biggest celebrities and has a big following across Asia.

Rain Wins Lawsuit!
Credit: allkpop

Superstar Rain and his previous agency JYP Entertainment were sued by the Wellmade STARM entertainment group around March of 2009 for a whopping 4.57 billion won (around $4 million) due to cancellations of concerts during his US tour in 2007. Wellmade STARM was the financial brawn behind his tour and stated that the singer had breached their contract by unsuccessfully performing 16 shows for his US tour.

A South Korean court ruled that Rain was not to blame for the cancellations and dismissed the lawsuit. Judge Bae Kwang Kook stated, “The poor preparations by US promoters were the cause of the cancellations.”

He also came to an agreement with Click Entertainment on a different lawsuit over a canceled concert in Honolulu around June of last year. Congrats to Rain for making it through this rough case.