Lil Peep’s mother reaches settlement in wrongful death lawsuit against First Access Entertainment

20 February, 2023

Lil Peep’s mother, Liza Womack, has reached a settlement in the multi-million dollar wrongful death lawsuit that stemmed from her son’s fatal drug overdose in 2017.

Womack filed the lawsuit (regarding legal responsibility for Lil Peep’s death) against the rapper’s management and label services company, First Access Entertainment. Per Pitchfork, a notice filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday (February 17) outlined that Womack had settled the wrongful death lawsuit with the company, though terms of the settlement remain undisclosed.

“Liza has been indefatigable in her pursuit of justice for her son,” Womack’s lawyer Paul Matiasic said in a statement to Pitchfork. “With the conclusion of the litigation, her focus will shift to shepherding his legacy and continuing to release his music for the enjoyment of his fans.” The court filing states the settlement was reached on February 14, just weeks ahead of the case’s scheduled start trial date of March 8.

Womack first brought the case against First Access in 2019, accusing the company – along with former manager Brian “Chase” Ortega and tour manager Belinda Mercer – of wrongful death, negligence and breach of contract relating to Lil Peep (real name Gustav Elijah Åhr). First Access Entertainment denied any wrongdoing in 2019.

A statement shared to Lil Peep’s Instagram on Friday said that “from this day forward, his music will be in the care of his mother and brother, and no one else.” The post – accompanied by and image of Peep, Womack and Peep’s brother Karl Åhr – continued: “It is a solemn moment for us as we reflect on the struggles of the past five plus years. We are grateful to all of the fans, friends, professionals, and family who stood by us.”

The settlement bookends a flurry of developments in the Lil Peep case in recent years. In a further elaboration of their denial, First Access Management declared in a 2020 statement that they “did not control or have the right to control Mr. Ahr’s personal life, including his drug use,” and that the rapper “chose to take the drugs that killed him”.

The following year, Womack vowed to continue seeking “justice for Gus”, saying she’d continue her efforts to find “people to be held accountable for their behaviour.” Months later, Womack alleged that First Access entertainment owed her $4million (£3million), with Matiasic claiming the company was “denying her royalty revenue that they know she’s owed”.

Last year, a judge upheld Womack’s claims of wrongful death and negligence, rejecting First Access Entertinament’s attempt to dismiss the case. The judge maintained that Womack’s claims of untrained medical personnel on the tour bus and the absence of adequate “life-saving apparatuses” remained viable.

Lil Peep died at the age of 21 on November 15, 2017. The cause of death was ruled a month later as an accidental overdose of fentanyl and Xanax.

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