{"id":10688,"date":"2026-05-15T08:26:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/usher-restaurant-loan-lawsuit-moves-forward-against-bryan-michael-cox\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T08:26:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:26:15","slug":"usher-restaurant-loan-lawsuit-moves-forward-against-bryan-michael-cox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/usher-restaurant-loan-lawsuit-moves-forward-against-bryan-michael-cox\/","title":{"rendered":"Usher Restaurant Loan Lawsuit Moves Forward Against Bryan-Michael Cox"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\tUsher has won a court ruling allowing him to proceed with $700,000 legal claims against music producer Bryan-Michael Cox <\/strong>over a loan for a failed Atlanta restaurant.<\/p>\n

\n\tA Monday (May 11) ruling in Fulton County court, first obtained and reported by Billboard<\/em>, says Cox and his business partners cannot dismiss the lawsuit brought against them by the star (born Usher Raymond IV) this past November. This means the case will now move forward into evidence discovery and toward a possible trial.<\/p>\n

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\n\tCox, whose work with Usher and other R&B artists like Mariah Carey earned him a spot on Billboard<\/em>\u2019s top producers of the 21st century list, was part of a team that developed plans for a restaurant called \u201cHomage ATL\u201d in 2024. Cox\u2019s business partners in the project were songwriter Keith Thomas<\/strong>, who\u2019s also credited on multiple Usher hits, including the chart-topper \u201cLove In This Club,\u201d and Charles Hughes<\/strong>, who was previously involved in T.I.\u2019s own troubled Atlanta restaurant.<\/p>\n

\n\tUsher alleges these men approached him in 2024 about investing in the restaurant as a full partner and that he declined, instead opting to lend them $1.7 million to help fund the purchase of a $6 million building in Atlanta\u2019s upscale Buckhead neighborhood. The real estate deal ultimately fell through, and Usher asked for his money back.<\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to the lawsuit, the group\u2019s attorney, Alcide Honor\u00e9<\/strong>, returned $1 million to Usher. But $700,000 is still missing \u2014 and the singer says Honor\u00e9 effectively admitted that the funds had been improperly spent elsewhere. Now, Usher is leveling breach of contract claims against Cox, Thomas, Hughes and Honor\u00e9 over the loan balance.<\/p>\n

\n\tCox and Thomas both argued that a judge should dismiss them from the case because Honor\u00e9 was the sole person responsible for processing Usher\u2019s loan, and they had no involvement in the movement of the funds. But Judge Craig L. Schwall Sr. denied the motion during a Monday hearing in Atlanta. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cConstruing the pleadings in plaintiff\u2019s favor, those allegations are sufficient to survive dismissal at the pleading stage,\u201d wrote the judge in his order. \u201cPlaintiff has plausibly alleged that the moving defendants solicited, directed, benefited from, or retained the funds at issue, notwithstanding that the funds were routed through defendant Honor\u00e9\u2019s attorney trust account.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHughes has not responded to the lawsuit. Honor\u00e9, meanwhile, countersued Usher last year for interfering with his reputation. Judge Schwall ruled Monday that this counterclaim \u201cappears inartfully pled and may ultimately prove deficient as matter of law,\u201d but he declined Usher\u2019s request to dismiss it outright.<\/p>\n

\n\tA lawyer for Thomas, Leron Rogers <\/strong>of the firm Fox Rothschild, told Billboard<\/em> on Thursday (May 14) that they \u201crespectfully disagree with the court\u2019s ruling on procedural grounds.\u201d According to Rogers, Judge Schwall made clear during Monday\u2019s hearing that Honor\u00e9 will be primarily responsible for explaining where Usher\u2019s $700,000 has gone.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOur client is aligned with the court\u2019s primary question toward defendant Honor\u00e9 concerning the location of Mr. Raymond\u2019s money,\u201d said Rogers. \u201cWe await attorney Honor\u00e9\u2019s response.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLawyers representing Usher and the other defendants did not immediately return requests for comment. When the case was first filed, Cox wrote on Instagram that he was only a \u201cpassive minority shareholder\u201d in Homage ATL: \u201cI was not a participant in that business transaction and have no involvement in the ongoing legal process,\u201d he claimed. \u201cWhile I\u2019m unable to share more details right now, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: my 27-year friendship with @usher remains fully intact.\u201d<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
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