The City of Augusta is to be awarded more than $3 million after a notice hearing for damages, Monday.
In April of this year, Superior Court Judge Jesse Stone rejected the counterclaim filed by Las Vegas entertainment promoter C4 Live LLC against the Augusta Economic Development Authority (oAEDA).
In early 2023, AEDA filed its initial suit against the entertainment group for breach of contract, after a deal between C4 Live and the city to refurbish Lake Olmstead Stadium into a music venue fell through amid the cancellation of a week-long concert event during the 2022 Masters Week.
“We’ve felt, for the last two years now, that we did nothing wrong,” said AEDA President Cal Wray. “We did everything the county asked us to, we did everything that C4 asked us to. Obviously the court agrees with us that C4 was in the wrong, that they did not honor their side of the contract.”
In the damages hearing, which had been scheduled on April 17, the city received $3.2 million in damages for the stadium and $9,000 in legal fees, while the AEDA is to be awarded some $14,000 in legal fees.
Wray says the AEDA is excited to be able to confer with other parties who have expressed interest in the site the next steps for which include the termination of C4’s lease and repairs from vandalism.
“Obviously, we can’t make any decisions because it’s not our asset, but we have multiple people who have wanted to talk about the stadium. And with the county’s blessing, we will talk to them,” Wray said. “We’re disappointed that the concert series didn’t work with C4, but hopefully the next interested party can come to something that the community will enjoy.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
