According to documents, the lawyer for the businessmen admitted that the Raymond Loan balance was disbursed and that returning it was “not that easy” because it had
ATLANTA — A Grammy Award-winning singer and Atlanta native is suing his business partners after they failed to use his $1 million loan to purchase property for a restaurant.
Usher was approached by a group of businessmen at the end of 2024 to participate in the launch of a new restaurant called Homage ATL, a unique dining and lounge experience.
According to court documents, the R&B singer declined to invest but agreed to loan $1.7 million to be used solely for the purchase of the Buckhead Property.
Court documents state that Keith Thomas, Bryan Michael-Cox, and Charles Hughes formed the business group that approached the singer about the loan. A lawyer for the men prepared the LLC Operating Agreement for the restaurant, which was signed by UAF and NGI for the purchase of the Buckhead property for $6,350,000 as of September 2024, according to documents.
Before any loan agreement was prepared, legal documents state that Usher’s team received an urgent call from the businessmen, who said that the loan was needed immediately for the purchase of the property. Instructions on how to wire the money were also sent on behalf of the business group, and the proceeds were sent the same day.
However, by the spring of 2025, Usher’s team and the business group failed to reach an agreement about any investment from Usher, and the Buckhead property was never purchased.
In the summer of the same year, an agreement was still not reached, and Usher called for the business group to repay him in full. According to legal documents, the singer was repaid $1 million in August 2025, but he has not received the remaining $700,000.
According to documents, the lawyer for the businessmen admitted that the Raymond Loan balance was disbursed and that returning it was “not that easy” because it had been allocated for “other purposes.”
Legal documents also mention that because the loan was used for purposes other than the purchase of the Buckhead Property, Usher’s attorneys are demanding for an immediate repayment of the rest of the money as well as punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, and any further relief as the court deems just and proper. He is demanding a trial by jury.
