Brian Kelley (L) and Tyler Hubbard from the band Florida Georgia Line perform On ABC's 'Good Morning America' at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on August 15, 2014 in New York City.
The attorney for Country Explosion, David Drake, says that Johnson cashed a check for $205,000 on July 21, 2014. He had been given the check on the 20th with the understanding that he needed to hold it for three days in order for box office receipts to cover it. The complaint says that he cashed it the following day, in breach of the oral agreement to hold it.
When the check bounced, the suit contends that the band and their manager slandered the companies name. "As if adding insult to injury, on July 22, 2014, Johnson announced by email to the William Morris Agency Nashville and to other artists and booking agencies in Nashville, that the check had bounced, making Country [Explosion] absolutely toxic among the artists and booking agencies in Nashville. This has also had repercussions in the entertainment industry around the whole country," the lawsuit reads.
Drake contends that since that email was sent, Country Explosion has been blackballed and have been unable to book any other artists. The company is suing for lost business, defamation of character and breach of contract.
