Dancers Claim Manager Took Tutu Much

LAS VEGAS (CN) - The Jabbawockeez, a hip-hop dance group, sued their manager, claiming he sneakily increased his ownership of the group from 1 percent to 52 percent.

Lead plaintiff Kevin Brewer sued Fred D. Nguyen and his company FDN Holdings in Clark County Court.

Brewer and his co-plaintiffs - Christopher Gatdula, Joseph Larot, Philippe Tayag, Rainen Paguio and WKZ LLC - got their big break in April 2008 when they won a contest on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew."

They are known for wearing white masks as they dance and have appeared in movies and other TV shows.

The group says in the lawsuit that it formerly had another member, nonparty Jeffrey Nguyen, defendant Nguyen's brother.

They claim they contacted defendant Nguyen, "who purportedly had some business experience, to take a management role in the business."

Defendant Nguyen was initially given a 1 percent interest in Jabbawockeez LLC, which later improperly grew to 52 percent," the complaint states.

The Jabbawockeez have been performing on the Las Vegas Strip since 2010, according to the complaint. They have "developed other revenue streams under separate entities including, but not limited to, JBWKZ Clothing LLC, JBWKZ Productions LLC, JBWKZ Theater LLC, MUS.I.C LLC, and JAKL LLC," according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs' attorney Joseph Ganley in an interview: "We believe Nguyen was able to increase his commission by manipulating the business's articles of incorporation."

Ganley said Nguyen secretly and gradually increased his commissions over 10 years, the largest increase in the past three years.

Ganley said Nguyen is still the group's manager but the Jabbawockeez want to stop him from taking more than he should.

The plaintiffs seek an accounting and punitive damages for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duties.

Ganley works with Hutchinson & Steffen, of Las Vegas.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit