SOLVED!
[Blind Gossip] A couple of years ago, this famous musician got married in a major city.
He paid for the venue months ahead of time, but a few weeks before the wedding, city officials began adding on fees for the venue to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars! It was too late to change the venue – and he didn’t want to cancel the wedding – so the musician paid up, but he was furious at the extortion. He and his reality star wife have been fighting to get the money back ever since.
Similar: Another Surprise Wedding
Musician:
Reality Star Wife:
[Optional] Income inequality is a big topic of discussion these days. Should wealthy people pay more than non-wealthy people for the same products or services?
SOLVED!
Musician: Neal Schon
Reality Star Wife: Michaele Salahi of Real Housewives of D.C.
Source: Associated Press
The City of San Francisco tried to hike the venue fees on Journey front man Neal Schon and reality star/White House crasher Michaele Salahi just a couple of weeks before their monster wedding (check out the pic of the bridal party below).
The couple paid the fees so that the wedding could go on, but then sued the city to recover the money. They won.
From Associated Press:
San Francisco approves $290,000 payout
for Journey wedding
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $290,000 payout to settle a lawsuit by the guitarist of rock band Journey that claimed the city unfairly jacked up fees to use a city landmark for his lavish wedding.
The full board voted unanimously to approve the settlement with Neal Schon.
Schon married “Real Housewives of D.C.” star Michaele Salahi in December 2013 at the Palace of Fine Arts with a reception at an adjacent building that once housed the Exploratorium science museum.
Schon said he agreed to pay the city $58,000 for the use of the building, but he was surprised to learn days before the wedding that he would have to pay $240,000 for the opulent event to go on. He reluctantly paid, likening the price hike to “extortion.”
The couple sued in federal court in February, claiming that the city unfairly jacked up the fee after learning the couple planned to broadcast the event on pay-per-view television.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera initially defended the higher charge as appropriate for a commercial event. “We’re grateful we were able to reach an amicable agreement to resolve the dispute, and we wish Neal and Michaele every happiness in married life,” Herrera’s office said in a statement.
Journey is a band nearly synonymous with San Francisco in some circles. Two of its songs, “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” and “Lights,” are unofficial theme songs of the San Francisco Giants.
Before starring in the 2010 season of “Housewives,” Salahi made headlines when she and her then-husband crashed a state dinner at the White House in 2009.
While most of you guessed that we were talking about Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, a few of you guessed correctly. Congratulations to HollySleuth for being first with the correct answer!
