Floyd Mayweather’s lawsuit over an unauthorized New Orleans Super Bowl party now includes a booking company and the man behind it.
As TMZ reported in February 2013, Mayweather sued the Wine Bistro, a New Orleans wine bar, claiming it advertised that he and his Money Team would host a Super Bowl weekend party on February 1 without his agreement. He said the bar used his name for profit and asked the court for money and an order stopping the use of his name.
According to court documents in Mayweather v. Wine Bistro, LLC (U.S. District Court, District of Nevada, Case No. 2:13 cv 210), Mayweather filed an amended complaint on June 7, 2013 adding more defendants. They include ZB Bookings, a Georgia company, its owner Zakee, Trio Records and a man named Anwar Jenkins. In the complaint, Mayweather alleges that Trio booked him for the party without his consent after getting him through ZB Bookings, and that ZB Bookings used his image without permission. A court order from October 2013 summarizes those claims, which include unfair competition and violation of Nevada publicity rights.
These are allegations in a lawsuit, not findings by a court. We did not find a public response from Zakee or ZB Bookings in the filings we reviewed, and we will update the story if one is made.
If you are booking a celebrity for an event, the lesson is simple. Confirm the booking directly with the artist’s official representatives before you advertise it.
