Usher Sues Bryan Michael-Cox And Former Business Partners Over Failed Buckhead Restaurant Deal
Usher is taking producer Bryan-Michael Cox and a group of former business associates to court after a Buckhead restaurant deal unraveled, leaving him short hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to a lawsuit filed Nov. 14 in Fulton County, the Grammy winner says he loaned $1.7 million to Cox, entertainment lawyer Alcide Honoré, Keith Thomas, and Charles Hughes to help them secure a commercial property on Piedmont Road for a planned restaurant and lounge called Homage ATL.
The “U Got It Bad" singer says he wasn’t interested in being an investor but agreed to front the money strictly so the group could purchase the building, which had a reported price tag of $6.3 million.
Court filings say the “Confessions” singer wired the money to Honoré’s attorney trust account in early January after being told the funds were urgently needed to close the deal.
But months passed, the property was never purchased, and negotiations around his possible involvement in the business went nowhere.
When the “Burn” singer asked for his money back, he said he received $1 million over the summer, but the remaining $700,000 never came.
According to the lawsuit, Honoré told the actor that the rest of the money couldn’t be immediately returned because it had been used for unspecified “other purposes.”
The Grammy Award-winner claims he still hasn’t been told where it went.
Now, the 47-year-old is suing for $4.9 million in damages, which includes the outstanding loan balance and additional claims tied to the failed deal.
After the lawsuit surfaced, Cox spoke out on social media, sharing that his relationship with the “Hey Daddy” singer is still intact.
He posted a photo of the two and acknowledged the lessons he learned during this moment in their relationship.
In the caption, the “Shortie Like Mine” producer explained that he’s become more cautious about who he aligns with in business, saying he has “learned a lot recently about being careful with who you choose to invest in a business with,” even when the stake seems small.
He shared that he’s now caught in the middle of a deal “that I didn’t orchestrate,” and while the situation has been frustrating, he believes “my name will be cleared by both sides,” adding that it’s unfortunate the truth “didn’t come sooner.”
Cox also revealed that his legal team informed him of a separate lawsuit involving a company where he’s only a passive minority shareholder.
He continued, emphasizing that he wasn’t part of the transaction at the center of the dispute and has no involvement in the ongoing proceedings.
But the producer made one message unmistakably clear: his bond with the R&B veteran has not been damaged.
“My 27-year friendship with @usher remains fully intact,” he wrote, thanking fans and friends “for the love, the patience, and the understanding” as everything unfolds.
