Kaskade Doesn’t Want to Reveal His Pay Rate in Lawsuit Over KAOS Nightclub
Dance artist Kaskade is suing the owners of Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort for breach of contract over his residency deal with the now-shuttered KAOS nightclub -- but his lawyers want to keep his pay…
Dance artist Kaskade is suing the owners of Las Vegas’ Palms Casino Resort for breach of contract over his residency deal with the now-shuttered KAOS nightclub — but his lawyers want to keep financial terms private.
“As a performer and entertainer, my professional activities and earnings are highly dependent on performance contract,” Ryan Raddon, who performs as Kaskade, wrote in affidavit Jan. 10 to the judge overseeing his lawsuit against F.P. Holdings, a limited partnership connected to the Palms. Raddon accuses the company of failing to pay out the remainder of his contract after closing down its KAOS nightclub last year.
Opened in April 2019 with a residency from global superstar Marshmello as part of a $690 million renovation of the Palms, the club lost $28 million in July-September 2019, according to a Nov. 6, 2019, quarterly earnings call. KAOS closed in November 2019 and the company said on that call it anticipated another $12 million to $20 million over the following three months.
Raddon’s lawyers say he is owned payment for 37 canceled shows through the end of 2020 and is asking judge Andrew P. Gordon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada to approve a protective order allowing them to redact payment details from documents filed in the case.
“Public disclosure” of his compensation from the Palms “would substantially eliminate my bargaining power in negotiating future performance agreements,” Raddon wrote, weakening his ability to “negotiate what I believe to be the full and fair market value of my services for future performances.”
In a city like Las Vegas, “the small size of the market of potential employers limits the ability of artists like myself to negotiate performance agreements,” he explained.
Raddon’s lawyer Alex Fugazzi says Raddon’s agreement with the Palms includes a confidentiality clause blocking the disclosure of confidential information, but acknowledges the agreement does make an exception for legal proceedings.
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“We believe that this does not require public disclosure of the specific dollar amounts, but only permits it under certain circumstances,” Fugazzi wrote to F.P. Holding attorney J. Colby Williams on Dec. 17. Williams in return indicated he would not oppose efforts to redact confidential information from the documents filed by the DJ’s legal team, but reserved its right to “handle its own filings as it deemed appropriate.”
Attorney Michael Seville with San Francisco law firm Seville Briggs — who is not involved in the case — says the gamesmanship over confidentiality shows “both sides are being pretty smart on how they approach litigation,” while protecting their clients interests. “If, however, this goes to a jury,” he added, “it’s more than likely a verdict will not be protected.”
Attorneys for the Palms and Raddon are due back in court next month for a discovery hearing. Neither party’s reps responded to Billboard‘s request for comment at time of publishing.