Summerside Seeks Settlement

Officials in Prince Edward Island are looking to settle a $1.3 million case the city filed earlier this year against a San Jose, Calif., promoter over a Michael Jackson tribute concert that never happened.

The suit alleged promoter Katrina Berg Sussmeier of StarLink Productions “fraudulently or negligently induced” the city of Summerside to pay $1.3 million for a purported “Official Michael Jackson Celebration/Tribute Show” in the Canadian province.

Sussmeier denied the claims at the time, firing back at the city for violating a non-disclosure agreement and attempting to contact artists and their management during the negotiation process, which she said killed the deal.

Now, it appears the city is running out of money to fight the dispute in court, and leaning toward a settlement.

Deputy Mayor Bruce MacDougall told the local Journal Pioneer the city council has agreed on an amount it would accept and is opting to settle “because of the costs involved.”

“We’d all like to have all our money back,” he said. “All of it, but council as a whole, agreed to an amount so we’re moving this forward through our legal counsel.”

When pressed for a dollar amount, MacDougall added he thought the settlement would “probably” be more than $500,000, although he also noted he couldn’t disclose the magic number as court proceedings are ongoing.

“Until that agreement is signed there will be no further discussion,” he said.

The show was supposed to include Justin Timberlake and Beyonce.