Godstock Promoter In Contempt

Former Joplin, Mo., promoter Derrick Gates was found in contempt Oct. 20 for failing to make restitution payments toward repaying 55 vendors more than $28,000 in deposits for three canceled events.

The judge gave Gates 60 days to make payments on the restitution owed before sentencing him, according to the Joplin Globe.

In June, Gates made a consent agreement to pay $680.04 a month in restitution payments over the course of three and a half years starting June 30. He has made only one payment – $900 in September.

Circuit Judge David Dally ruled Gates also violated the consent agreement by failing to properly register a business and using other than his legal name to conduct business – using Web sites to promote BlackSHEEP Clothing and BlackSHEEP Graphic Design under the alias Derrick Badders.

Gates, 30, and two co-defendants – Josh Allen, 26, and Zachary Grimm, 22, who are listed as employees of his companies OnFire Productions and HardNox Productions – were named in a lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general in December.

The promoter and his associates received more than $37,000 as down payment for booth space for three events between January and November of last year, according to the Globe.

Godstock, a Christian music festival in Joplin, was supposed to take place last summer and two Gates-promoted events were scheduled to take place in Kansas City, Mo. – the Battle for the Mic rap concert in August and the Ink Deep Tattoo Convention in December.

Attorney Stuart Huffman said the former promoter has worked out an agreement to use a personal-injury lawsuit settlement, in negotiation on behalf of his wife, to pay off a sizable portion of the debt.

“My understanding is they are expecting $10,000 to $14,000 from the settlement, of which we could guarantee $10,000 to consumers in this case,” said Huffman, who added that the settlement is expected to be reached within the next 30 days.
 

As part of the consent agreement, Gates was permanently banned from promoting concerts and events or from taking deposits from vendors without first posting a $200,000 cash bond, according to the Globe.