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B superstar Usher has filed a lawsuit against his longtime music collaborator Bryan- Michael Cox, along with other business partners over a failed restaurant venture in Atlanta. The suit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, centers on a $1.7 million loan Usher provided in early 2025 to help acquire property for a planned lounge called Homage ATL, money he claims has not been fully repaid.
According to the complaint, Usher declined to become an investor in the project. Instead, he offered the funds as a loan to Cox, attorney Alcide Honoré, and associates Keith Thomas and Charles Hughes, who told him they needed the money quickly to close on a $6.3 million commercial property on Piedmont Road in Buckhead. Usher alleges he wired the full $1.7 million into Honoré’s attorney trust account. However, despite the promise that the funds would go toward the property purchase, the deal fell apart, and no real estate transaction materialized. In the summer, Usher says he was repaid only $1 million, leaving $700,000 still outstanding.
According to Usher’s lawsuit, Honoré admitted that the remaining money had been deployed for “other purposes” and indicated that returning it would not be easy. In another conversation, Usher’s team was told that some of the funds had been transferred to a title company but no documentation was produced to corroborate that claim.
Usher is pursuing $4.9 million in damages. The figure represents $700,000 for each of the seven claims in his suit including breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and other related allegations, plus interest, legal fees and punitive damages. In response, Cox released a statement via social media. He described himself as a “passive minority shareholder” in the business and said he was not actively involved in the management or execution of the deal. Cox expressed disappointment over the fallout but insisted that his 27-year friendship with Usher remains intact.
The lawsuit marks a turn in the relationship between Usher and Cox, who have collaborated on many chart-topping hits over the years, including “Burn,” “U Got It Bad,” and “Confessions Part II.” Their professional bond has been strong for decades, therefore has made this legal dispute all the more notable in the entertainment world.
Usher’s legal team says the matter is not just about money, but accountability. He trusted longtime friends to use the funds as promised and now he’s demanding transparency and restitution. As the case progresses, it will shine a spotlight on how artist–producer relationships evolve when business is on the line.
