Usher’s Lawsuit Against His Own Friends Exposes a Painful Rift After Nearly 40 Years of Brotherhood
Media Take Out has learned new details about the shocking legal battle brewing between Usher and two of his closest lifelong friends. The Grammy-winning superstar has filed a lawsuit in Fulton County after a business deal went wrong, and the fallout is heartbreaking given how close these men once were.
For nearly four decades, Usher and Keith Thomas have been inseparable. Keith is more than a best friend; he is family. He has been in Usher’s life since childhood and is the godfather to several of Usher’s kids. Their bond has been described as unbreakable.
Music producer Bryan-Michael Cox has also been a major part of Usher’s inner circle for close to 30 years. Cox helped craft some of Usher’s biggest hit records, including Burn and U Got It Bad. Together, they created an era of R and B that defined a generation.
Which is why fans are stunned that all three men now find themselves on opposite sides of a courtroom.
According to newly filed documents, Usher says that Cox, Thomas, Charles Hughes, and entertainment attorney Alcide Honoré approached him last year with a plan to open a new Buckhead restaurant and lounge called Homage ATL. The location they wanted was the former Ocean Prime property on Piedmont Road.
Usher made clear that he did not want to invest as a partner, but he agreed to help them get the project off the ground with a loan. In January, he wired the group one point seven million dollars into a trust account managed by their attorney.
Months went by, and the restaurant still had not secured the property. According to the lawsuit, by the summer, Usher asked for the money back. In August, he received one million, leaving a remaining balance of seven hundred thousand dollars unpaid.
Usher claims Honoré admitted the money had been used for other purposes and that repayment would not be easy.
The singer is now suing for four point nine million in damages, which breaks down to seven hundred thousand dollars for each of the seven claims listed in the filing.
Bryan-Michael Cox issued a statement on Instagram, distancing himself from the business side of the deal. He said he was only a passive minority shareholder, did not orchestrate the failed transaction, and has no involvement in the legal dispute. Cox also insisted that his twenty seven year friendship with Usher remains intact and that his name will be cleared.
Still, people close to the situation say it is sad to see three men who have shared decades of life, music, and family now facing tension behind the scenes. The lawsuit marks a major turning point in relationships that once seemed unshakeable.
Media Take Out will continue monitoring this developing story.