Lil Peep’s Former Label Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit

After nearly four years, late rapper Lil Peep’s mother, Liza Womack, has reached a settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit she brought against her son’s former label and management company, First Access Entertainment (FAE), according to court documents obtained by Billboard.

On Friday (Feb. 17), Womak — who is also the administrator of Peep’s estate — filed a notice in Los Angeles court that she had settled the case against all defendants. Details of the settlement agreement were not made available.

In addition to FAE, the 2019 lawsuit targeted Bryant Ortega, a member of Peep’s management team, and Belinda Mercer, Peep’s tour manager for his final tour in 2017, alleging they were responsible for the rapper’s fatal overdose of Xanax and fentanyl in November that year. Among other claims, Womack alleged that Mercer had a sexual relationship with Peep — born Gustav Elijah Åhr — and that she provided him drugs including ketamine. Rather than seek help for Lil Peep, FAE CEO Sarah Stennett was also accused of gifting the emerging rapper a bottle of pills during a group dinner.

The lawsuit further alleged that during a Los Angeles tour stop in 2017, Peep was “barely able to communicate, let alone perform, due to his use of drugs,” but that his managers still allowed him to take the stage. Womack also claimed the rapper wanted to quit the tour on different occasions, but that his team neglected his pleas and “pushed [Peep] onto stage after stage in city after city, plying and propping” him up with drugs. The suit additionally alleged negligence and breach of contract.

In February 2022, Judge Teresa Beaudet ruled that the case against FAE and Mercer could go on, though she dismissed the wrongful death claim as well as two out of four negligence claims against Ortega. FAE, Mercer and Ortega have all denied the allegations, with FAE previously calling the lawsuit “groundless and offensive.”