Morgan Wallen may face lawsuits after canceled concert

Morgan Wallen may face lawsuits after abruptly canceled concert in Mississippi

A man performs onstage, holding a mic and wearing a backwards white hat, black jacket, white T-shirt and dark pants.

By Jonah ValdezStaff Writer

April 25, 2023 3:14 PM PT

Morgan Wallen faces possible lawsuits from fans after the country star abruptly canceled his show in Mississippi over the weekend, citing vocal rest ordered by his doctor.

At least two law firms have said they are considering suing Wallen to recover thousands of dollars that fans poured into attending the concert scheduled for April 23 in Oxford, Miss., according to reports.

Nearly 60,000 fans had packed into Vaught Hemingway Stadium at the University of Mississippi in cold conditions on Sunday evening. Fans were stunned as they were told from the stage’s speakers and on its screens that Wallen “lost his voice and is unable to perform tonight.”

The show in Oxford was set to be Wallen’s fifth stop on his One Night at a Time world tour, which runs until October. On Monday, Wallen apologized to fans on his Instagram and announced he would postpone three other stops on the tour due to “doctor-ordered vocal rest.” The postponed shows include ones in Grand Rapids, Mich., Moline, Ill., and Lincoln, Neb.

“I appreciate and understand everything you do to get to my shows,” Wallen wrote. “So it would be unfair of me to put on a show that I know will not be 100%.”

One Mississippi firm filed a class action lawsuit Monday but voluntarily dismissed it Tuesday, announcing that the firm planned to refile with a different fan as the plaintiff, according to the Jackson, Miss., NBC affiliate WLBT.

“We have been contacted by numerous individuals who spent thousands of dollars — separate and apart from the cost of their ticket — who would like to see legal redress as well,” the Langston & Lott law firm wrote in a Facebook post, which has since been made private, according to WLBT. “We plan to re-file the class action lawsuit with a new plaintiff in the coming days.”

“The second lawsuit, like the first, will seek compensation on behalf of all those affected, not just one person,” the firm continued. “Tens of thousands of people collectively spent millions to attend this event, and those affected are entitled to know the truth and to be made whole.”

Another Mississippi firm said it planned to start investigating Wallen’s cancellation, urging fans not to accept refunds from concert organizers, according to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.

“The sudden cancellation raises red flags and should be investigated,” wrote Benjamin Philley of Kilpatrick & Philley on Facebook. “A refund of the ticket price is insufficient to compensate us for our actual out-of-pocket expense. Like everyone affected, I want answers and will not rest until I get them.”

Neither Philley, Langston & Lotte nor Wallen’s management immediately responded to The Times’ requests for comment.

Some fans of the country music star expressed their disappointment online.

“Drive 10 hours for a concert, Morgan cancels at least we saw Hardy!” tweeted @auroraliane_ along with video from the concert’s announcement. “The amount of grown women crying on ground was insane.”

In 2020, Wallen was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication and disorderly conduct after he was kicked out of a Kid Rock event. The following year, Wallen was caught on a neighbor’s security camera drunkenly using the N-word to refer to a friend.

The racist outburst prompted his label, Big Loud, to suspend him from performing. The artist also was effectively banned from awards shows despite later being nominated at a few.

But Wallen has been able to recover his career and started touring again in 2022. He also performs at award shows, including the Billboard Music Awards last year.

Wallen’s latest album, “One Thing at a Time,” was released in March and has sat atop the Billboard 200 charts for seven weeks.