R&B superstar Usher is going ahead with a $700,000 lawsuit tied to a failed Atlanta restaurant venture — despite longtime collaborator Bryan-Michael Cox previously insisting their nearly three-decade friendship remains unaffected.
Just Business, Nothing Personal
The legal dispute, filed in Fulton County in 2025, is from a proposed restaurant project called “Homage ATL.” The venture was linked to Cox, songwriter Keith Thomas, and businessman Charles Hughes. According to court filings, Usher declined an opportunity to become a business partner but loaned the group $1.7 million to secure a Buckhead property for the restaurant.
While $1 million of that loan was repaid, Usher claims that the remaining $700,000 has not been returned, Billboard reported. The singer, who is set for a high-profile tour with Chris Brown starting in June through December, is now seeking to recover those funds as the project never materialized into an actual restaurant.
On May 11, a judge ruled that the case can move forward, rejecting efforts from Cox and others to have the lawsuit dismissed. The court found that Usher had sufficiently argued that the defendants may have “solicited, directed, benefited from, or retained” the disputed funds. That decision keeps Cox named in the lawsuit, even as he maintains limited involvement.
Cox has previously stated that he was only a “passive minority shareholder” and not directly involved in the financial dealings at the center of the case. At the same time, he publicly emphasized that his relationship with Usher remains strong, describing their 27-year friendship as “fully intact.”
Cox and Usher have a long creative history, having worked together on some of Usher’s biggest hits, including tracks from the landmark “Confessions” album era.
Usher has a net worth of an estimated $180 million, while Cox, who besides Usher has worked with Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton, is estimated to have a net worth of $25 million.
