The mother of the late rapper Lil Peep, Liza Womack, is suing her son’s managers and management company for damages for negligence and wrongful death. The lawsuit says the defendants turned a blind eye to the rapper’s addictions, encouraged his drug use and pushed him to perform while he was under the influence and was medically unwell.
The lawsuit filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles county superior court.
Womack says in the lawsuit that the night before he died, Lil Peep expressed a desire not to perform but was told to take “an excessive amount of Xanax so as to make himself sick,” and in doing so would trigger insurance coverage for his cancelled performance.
Womack also says that his managers and executives at the highest level of his management company, First Access Entertainment, facilitated an environment of illegal drug use and viewed the rapper’s dangerous behavior as part of creating a “scene” on his tour. The suit also names managers with First Access Bryant “Chase” Ortega and Belinda Mercer as defendants in the suit.
Lil Peep, whose real name was Gustav Ahr, died in 2017 on his tour bus outside of Tucson, Ariz. from an overdose of fentanyl and Xanax. He was 21.
First Access Entertainment did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. The company said in a statement to the New York Times that the claims were “categorically untrue” and that Peep’s death was a “terrible tragedy.”
“The claim that First Access Entertainment, any of its employees, or Chase Ortega, or anyone else under our auspices was somehow responsible for, complicit in, or contributed to his death is categorically untrue. In fact, we consistently encouraged Peep to stop abusing drugs and to distance himself from the negative influence of the drug users and enablers with whom he chose to associate,” the statement reads. “It is extremely disappointing that Peep’s mother would file this meritless lawsuit, since she is well aware of the numerous efforts made by First Access and Chase Ortega to steer her son away from his concerning lifestyle choices. Unfortunately, in spite of our best efforts, he was an adult who made his own decisions and opted to follow a different, more destructive path.”
“While First Access is deeply saddened by Lil Peep’s untimely death, we will not hesitate to defend ourselves against this groundless and offensive lawsuit,” the statement continues.
Womack is seeking an unspecified sum in damages. The lawsuit comes just days after the release of a trailer for the documentary on the life of Lil Peep, “Everything Everything,” slated to premiere Nov. 12.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.