The creators of the Storm Area 51 craze wanted something out of this world, and they most certainly got it—in the form of a $50,000 lawsuit following the Alienstock aftermath.
According to legal documents obtained by Grit Daily, Nevada business owner, Connie West sued Matthew Roberts, the creator of the Storm Area 51 event and others for over $50,000 over allegations of breach of contract, trademark infringement, and false statements being made against her, the business, and the event by which they had agreed to promote together.
The complaint, filed with the Nevada District Court, outlines West’s side of a partnership agreement, which ultimately turned sour between her, Roberts, Hidden Sound LLC, and a handful of other individuals also named as defendants in the complaint.
West is the manager of Little A’Le’Inn, and the co-owner of the Little A’Le’Inn, located in Rachel Nevada—a world-famous, drawing thousands of visitors each year, and has been featured many times in film and television. The Inn is world-renowned for its proximity to the highly-secured U.S. Government facility, commonly known as “Area 51,” which is frequently the subject of conspiracy theories and fantasy stories involving UFOs and alien lifeforms.
According to the complaint, Roberts approached West at the end of July, asking to join forces with her along with The Hidden Sound, after she had begun to plan an event of her own, given the population flow towards her inn. She agreed to the arrangement, whereby Roberts and The Hidden Sound allegedly agreed to fund the event and solicit sponsorships, while West agreed to pay them half of the revenue received for parking reservations.
Once the event was named “Alienstock,” West then went to apply for and obtain a special event permit, working to comply with the licensing requirements to comply with the branding for the event. As a formal contract was never signed, for reasons unknown, West and Roberts’ group moved forward after receiving the Lincoln County Commissioners granting of a Temporary Mass Gathering Permit for Alienstock.
At the end of August, West was told by Roberts and The Hidden Sound, that the company that owns Pornhub committed to pay $70,000 for sponsorship and product placement at Alienstock, which West handled in terms of logistics, stickers, and outfits Pornhub representatives were to wear during the festival.
The complaint alleges that neither Robert nor The Hidden Sound put forth any of the promised funding, but West continued working in good faith and in light of the Pornhub sponsorship, making deposits for many of the event’s necessary services, including portable restrooms.
Costs skyrocketed when massive invoices came in for medical and security services, where West allegedly scrambled to cover those expenses, according to the complaint, having received nothing from Roberts and The Hidden Sound.
Not long after, the other defendants named in the complaint, came into the picture, offering to help organize and fund Alienstock. However, after a meeting that went sour on September 6, West didn’t want to move forward with Di Maggio and the others.
The complaint also states that around the same time, Pornhub allegedly wired the sponsorship money to The Hidden Sound, but the funds were never made available to West. Following this, Roberts, Di Maggio, and others went on camera on September 9 and announced that Alienstock was canceled, which the complaint states that this was meant to “cause confusion, interfere with, and sabotage the Alienstock event in Rachel, Nevada.”
Following the media appearance, the complaint also alleges that Roberts and the other defendants made various false public statements in order to smear West’s Inn and the Alienstock event.
Court documents reflect that West and her Inn have spent more than $110,000, with West spending between $5,000 and $6,000 of her personal funds and her business incurring more than $109,000 in expenses.
You can read the 27-page complaint here.
The defendants have responded with a Cease and Desist letter related to Alienstock, filed by and through their counsel, Callister Law Group out of Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Naysayers can say what they want, but I’m still moving forward,” West responded with after delivery of the Cease and Desist letter was delivered.
Things are about to get very interesting.
